


The Stray Cat

by Morishi



Category: IZONE (Band)
Genre: 2kim, Annyeongz, F/F, Fluff, Hotaru - Freeform, KangBi, KkuChaen, Yulyen, babysittingau, chaekura, nakohii, other members are just side characters
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-29
Updated: 2020-09-26
Packaged: 2020-10-29 23:43:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 32,880
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20804942
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Morishi/pseuds/Morishi
Summary: Lee Chaeyeon was on her way home when a phone she picked up received a message.[Come to the Mapo Bridge at 8:00pm. If not, I will jump down with our baby.]





	1. Responsibility

"Miss Lee, here are the remaining papers to be reviewed and signed."

A small girl wearing a formal office attire handed a thick folder towards a pudding-haired woman who was busy fiddling with her laptop, eyes deeply focused on her work.

"Thanks, Nako."

Taking a break from her work, the woman gave her a sweet smile before stretching her tired body; eyes closed, joints cracking, her black hair with silver ends dancing in every move she made.

The girl laughed at her boss and smiled, "Miss Lee, you should just go home for now. It's already eight in the evening."

"Nako, you should stop calling me Miss Lee. It's making me age faster plus you already clocked out so you're not working anymore. No need for formalities." The woman pouted at her secretary, Yabuki Nako, who was also her friend since high school.

"Fine, Chaeyeon-unnie. You should go home soon."

"I still have to fini—"

"Unnie, just go. If you don't, I'll stay here with you."

"Hey, you're not going to be paid for overtime work already. Just go home. It's been three hours."

"You do realize that you've been camping in this office since a week ago, right? I know you're sad so you're drowning yourself with work and you have your things inside your private room here but going home is another thing. Please rest. I won't leave until you do."

"But don't you have a date with your girlfriend?"

Nako groaned in frustration. "That's why I'm telling you to go home so I can go to her already!"

"What's her name again? Honda..."

The shorter girl hissed. "Hitomi. Honda Hitomi. So hurry up, the clock is ticking. If we break up, I'm going to kill myself and haunt you forever."

"I don't want to be haunted by you, of all people." Chaeyeon chuckled and closed her laptop, immediately stuffing it inside her bag.

"Good. Let's go!"

She laughed at the excited Nako. "What time is your dinner with Hitomi?"

"Thirty minutes from now."

"You're safe then. Well, good luck! Have fun!" Tapping her secretary's shoulder, she proceeded to walk towards the stairs.

"Why are you using the stairs? It's the 20th floor..."

"I want to exercise."

"Just go for a walk outside instead of killing your poor feet with the stairs. You can breathe some fresh air when you walk across the Mapo Bridge on your way, not some stuffy humid air inside the stairway. You can leave your car here, after all."

The taller girl hummed while pondering. "Okay. My home's not that far anyways."

Getting inside the elevator, Chaeyeon remembered the phone she picked up a few days ago that she left inside her bag.

"What are you doing?" Nako shot her a curious look while looking at her who was digging through her bag.

"Looking for a certain phone. I hope it's still al— ah! I got you."

The tall girl clicked the power button of the phone, hoping it's charged properly before it was left behind and she was glad that it really is charged. Though there was only half of it left. She swiped the phone to unlock it, no passcode needed it seems but Chaeyeon was startled when the phone started to vibrate endlessly, receiving calls and messages it missed after being revived again.

"Holy crap. That's a ton of notifications."

Chaeyeon gave a forced laugh, scratching her nape.

The moment the elevator dinged, Nako scurried away and shouted, "Ah, I'll be going now. Take care!" 

She gave her a smile and waved her hands before looking back at the phone while walking out of the building. There were a hundred missed calls as well as messages for the owner but Chaeyeon only smiled sadly.

_You are so loved._

All of a sudden, the phone vibrated for the last time, indicating the last message it received from an unknown number which was a few hours prior.

_[Come to the Mapo Bridge at 8:00 pm. If not, I will jump down with our baby.]_

Chaeyeon froze, feeling extremely alarmed at its content so despite knowing that she isn't the owner of the phone, she sprinted towards the said place as fast as she can, bumping on some people she ended up running at in panic. A few minutes of running, she arrived at the said location, there were little to no people passing by, only the roaring of cars at the side. She placed her hands on her knees, gasping for air as she pushed herself to the limit just to get there as soon as possible.

From afar, she could see a woman with long black hair, holding her stomach with a small bump while her other hand was holding her phone. She decided to carefully approach her after assuming that she was the person who sent the message.

Stopping in front of her, the pregnant girl looked at her, dead eyes wet with tears, her lips chapped, hair so messy. Chaeyeon's heart broke when she saw the expression of the person in front of her. She could tell how breathtakingly beautiful this girl is based on her features alone but right now, her face was screaming her feeling of helplessness.

The two of them stared at each other in silence when Chaeyeon mustered her courage to talk to the girl.

"...are you the one who said to meet here at eight?"

"...who are you?"

"I-I'm _his_ friend."

The girl smiled in irony. "So he decided to ignore us, huh."

"N-no, that's not it!"

The girl narrowed her eyes at Chaeyeon.

"He... he's gone."

"Gone? What do you mean by gone? He ran away and went abroad?" The girl laughed scornfully. "I shouldn't have trusted him that night. I'm an idiot for falling in love at first sight. Because of my feelings, I lost everything and now, he abandoned me? Well, fuck him."

Chaeyeon felt frustrated, she knows that the girl in front of him is suffering but she was still blaming _him_ without really knowing what happened.

"I wish he dies." The girl's last words broke anything that could keep Chaeyeon's calm.

"SHUT UP" She growled at the girl, gritting her teeth as her hands clenched tightly from the anger and grief she has been keeping for weeks. "Lee Jaehyun never left by his will. He was involved in a car accident almost a month ago while saving a young girl from being run over by a car."

"W-what?"

"He's dead."

Out of nowhere, the girl in front of her staggered on her feet, making Chaeyeon regain her composure and jump to stop the girl from collapsing on the hard concrete. She swung her bag towards her back before putting the girl's left arm over her shoulder while she wrapped her arm around the girl's slim waist for support.

"W-what am I supposed to do now..." The girl started sobbing and the taller girl couldn't help but panic when she did. She knew that stress is bad for pregnant women and the baby could be in danger. _His_ baby will be in danger. 

Without thinking, Chaeyeon hugged the girl to comfort her. Shushing the pregnant woman to calm down while giving her soft pats. "It's okay. It's going to be okay."

Before Chaeyeon knew it, she felt the girl get heavy as she passed out. Realizing this, she called for an ambulance right away, worrying about the health of the girl and the baby inside her womb.

\--

The girl woke up in a white room. An IV drip to her right and a sleeping stranger on her left. She wanted to ignore the girl but she felt her throat dry so she woke her up instead by weakly tapping the arm of the girl that she could barely reach.

Feeling the movement, Chaeyeon quickly opened her eyes to see her, worry immediately painted over her face. "Are you feeling okay? You want some water?"

The girl gave her a small nod making Chaeyeon stand up from her seat to get a glass of water from the stuff she bought earlier.

"Thank you." She weakly muttered making the taller girl smile.

"I'll go call the doctor now, okay?" She then pressed the button beside the hospital bed to call for a doctor.

It didn't take long for one to arrive at the room. After checking the girl's blood pressure and the drip, she smiled at her patient.

"I'm glad you're finally awake. You should be more careful not to forget to drink fluids for the baby. By the way, I'm your gynecologist, Kim Minjoo."

"Gynecologist?"

"I asked for her. Don't worry, she's not a quack doctor." Chaeyeon smiled at the confused woman.

"Unnie!" The doctor in front of her whined making Chaeyeon chuckle.

"She's a friend of mine."

"B-but I don't have the money to—"

"You don't need to worry about the bill." Chaeyeon gave her a pat. "Minjoo, if everything's fine now, can I talk to her alone? I'll just tell her the stuff you told me."

The doctor giggled. "You literally just called for me a minute ago but you're already making me leave."

"Sorry. I'll make it up to you when we all meet next week."

"No problem, Anything for you, unnie." Minjoo then bid them goodbye before bowing.

The ones left in the room were engulfed in deafening silence.

"How are you feeling now?"

"I... feel lighter." The pregnant woman reached for her stomach, running her hands on her small bump carefully.

"You were dehydrated so you passed out. Minjoo said you can be discharged after finishing the drip and some additional check-ups for the baby." She smiled at the girl but the other only shook her head.

"I... don't have anywhere to go to..."

"...is that the reason why you tried to contact Jaehyun?"

"Yeah... I found out that I'm six weeks pregnant a month ago so I told him. I was happy because he said he will take responsibility but he just disappeared... with no traces whatsoever." The girl smiled bitterly at her words.

"I see... I've known him since we were kids. He's a responsible person so I'm sure he really planned to do what he said."

The girl gave her a forced smile. "I'm glad... So he's really sincere... I'm sorry for saying those stuff about him."

"No, if I was in your shoes, I'll probably feel angry about him too." Chaeyeon gave her a reassuring smile.

"Thank you..."

"So... what are you planning after this?"

"I really don't know. I'm already kicked out of my apartment... I already used up my small savings and sold everything I had for the baby's vitamins."

"What about your parents?"

"They... cut ties ever since I left Japan."

"You're Japanese?"

"Yeah. I came from Kagoshima."

"Ah. I see. I'm sorry to hear that. By the way, I'm Lee Chaeyeon. How rude of me to introduce myself this late." The girl whipped her head towards Chaeyeon who was offering her right hand for a handshake while awkwardly scratching her nape.

"Oh. I-I'm Miyawaki Sakura." She accepted the girl's hand.

"It's a pleasure to meet you." Chaeyeon gave Sakura a sweet smile making the girl smile back at her although small.

_She really is pretty when she smiles._

Chaeyeon thought to herself as she felt her cheeks feel warm.

"Thank you for taking care of me when I was passed out."

"Oh, no worries. What do you plan to do after leaving the hospital?"

"...I really don't know. Maybe ask for my friend's help. I didn't want to burden her but I don't have a choice."

"You're still planning to keep the baby?"

"What are you talking about? Of course, I do." Sakura gave her a weak smile. "I wasn't lying when I said I'll kill myself and the baby if Jaehyun didn't appear but the situation is different now. I'll try my best to live and give the baby a good life."

Chaeyeon couldn't help but sigh before smiling at her. Finally, she made up her mind.

"Well then, if you don't have anywhere to go, I'll take responsibility in his place."

"What? But..."

"It's okay. Let me take his place instead. It's Jaehyun's child too so this is the least I can do for him." Chaeyeon smiled further at Sakura and held her hand. "Don't worry, I'll do my best to become a good guardian for both of you."

Sakura remained silent, she was having mixed feelings. She knows she seriously needs a helping hand to raise a child but she felt bad that she'd have to depend on someone she even barely knew who was kind enough to offer help. 

_Is it really fine?_

The woman's gentle voice interrupted her from her deep thoughts. All her life, she's never heard a voice as kind as Chaeyeon's, her expressions just exude genuine care and sincerity for her. She just doesn't understand why someone would be willing to go that far just to help her and her baby.

"I can provide for the two of you just fine. You really don't have to worry. I'll help you."

Tears started streaming down Sakura's cheeks as she smiled at Chaeyeon. "Then, please take care of us."

Chaeyeon felt her heart skip a beat before smiling back once again at the girl.

"I will, Sakura. Take care of me too."


	2. Entering Her Second Trimester

"Chaeyeon... Chaeyeooon... Lee Chaeyeooon!!! LEE CHAEYEON!!"

"Oh, Sakura. What's wrong?" Chaeyeon stretched out her arms and stifled a yawn before rubbing her eyes groggily. The first thing she saw was Sakura hugging her arm while facing her. She then glanced at the analog clock on her wall.

_3:46 am_

"I really want to eat some bananas and chocolates." Sakura shook Chaeyeon's arm while pouting.

"We don't have bananas anymore?"

Sakura hummed, brows furrowed and lips still protruding. "I think I ate all of them last night."

"Okay, okay. I'll go buy some, okay? Wait for me here." Chaeyeon chuckled and ruffled Sakura's hair before standing up from her bed.

"Hey, even though you're taller than me, I'm still older than you. You're treating me like a kid." She puffed her cheeks but it only made Chaeyeon laugh further.

It's been four weeks since Sakura stayed in her home so she had learned a lot about her and became so fond of her. It's also been three weeks since Sakura started becoming awfully clingy to her, sometimes pinching her cheeks and nose. There were even times when Sakura goes to her office just to squish her face then leave while giggling. She remembered the first time she brought her in the office, all her employees' eyes were stuck on the girl. Chaeyeon can't deny it but even she was surprised at how much Sakura bloomed just two days after their meeting. Her doe eyes free from worry, her chapped lips nowhere to be found as it was back to its healthy glory, her newly cut short hair now complimenting her small face. She was finally smiling brightly and that of course, simply attracted everyone's attention.

There were little accidents happening here and there due to her workers being distracted so Chaeyeon decided to just bring her work to the office with Nako's help to accompany the needy Sakura. Her secretary, Nako, upon hearing the circumstances, couldn't stop laughing and jumping around, saying that Chaeyeon's going to be a mother soon then immediately informed their circle of friends. The rest of the happenings just gave Chaeyeon a headache.

"Why are you sighing?" Sakura's sad voice snapped Chaeyeon back to reality. "Is it because of me?"

"No, no, no. I was just remembering how my friends bombarded me with questions when they found out about you."

"Oh, last, last week? Your friends are so interesting though." Sakura chuckled.

"I'm glad you found them interesting. You can meet them again if you want." The girl grinned at Chaeyeon words.

"Really?? Then can you call them over today?"

"T-today? How about tomorrow? You have to rest for now. You were quite active yesterday."

"Chaeyeon~ Please~"

"Sakura, please rest today. Just today. Tomorrow we'll go and have fun, okay?"

"Boo... also, didn't I tell you to call me Kkura or Saku-chan?" Chaeyeon couldn't help but scratch her blushing cheek.

"Fine. I'll go buy your bananas now, Saku-chan."

"Can I go with you?"

"But it's only four in the morning."

"Please?"

Chaeyeon tried to avoid looking at Sakura's pleading eyes but ultimately failed. As they locked eyes, she was the first one to break their staring contest before groaning.

_I'm too soft to her._

She sighed.

"Fine. We'll go buy whatever you want to."

"Yes!"

The taller girl exhaled through her nose while smiling at the pregnant woman who looks extremely happy at the moment.

\--

"Saku-chan! Didn't I tell you to wear your coat? It's cold in the morning. The baby might feel cold too." 

Chaeyeon jogged towards Sakura and wrapped the girl with the coat she forgot in the car as she excitedly left at the sight of the 24/7 convenience store in front of her, eyes twinkling like a child.

"Chaeyeon, Chaeyeon! I want to eat lots of chocolates!"

"Yes, yes. Please calm down. You're too excited." She giggled then grabbed Sakura's hand as she was hyperventilating already.

Sakura has started becoming open to her cravings after holding it in for a week since their meeting. She claimed that she was too embarrassed to ask for more since Chaeyeon already let her live with her but Chaeyeon successfully persuaded Sakura into being more honest to her needs so seeing how the girl can now easily tell her these things, it simply made Chaeyeon happy.

They quietly entered the store and was welcomed by a girl who was boredly playing with her mobile phone behind the counter.

"You can take anything you want except for the things that are not allowed for the baby, okay?"

"Okay!"

Sakura immediately scurried while dragging Chaeyeon towards the aisle with chocolates and grabbed all the chocolates she could then put it inside the basket the younger girl is holding. 

Chaeyeon could only shake her head. Living with a pregnant woman for almost four weeks made her realize a lot of things.

First, never go against their wishes or they will snap or cry with all their might. Their mood swings are no joke and it takes a lot to calm them down.

Second, giving their wants especially cravings is very important. It doesn't matter if she has to book a flight to Busan the second Sakura asked her to buy two servings of milmyeon she desperately wants. She even once threatened Nako that she'll fire her if she doesn't fly to Japan just to buy the kurobuta Sakura was craving for from her hometown (which she realized to be the same with Nako) before evening. 

Third, pregnant women are extremely sensitive to smells and there are certain smells they just love smelling. There are plenty of times when Sakura hugged her to smell her neck giving Chaeyeon shivers from both fear and shock of having someone do that to her without warning. But as she slowly adjusted, she finally became used to the older girl being glued to her since she kept saying she loves Chaeyeon's scent the most.

Fourth, complimenting them and not saying negative things will make them happy, therefore making the baby happy as well. Chaeyeon is always careful not to leave Sakura alone and she always showers her with compliments, although it makes the girl so flustered that she starts hitting Chaeyeon.

Lastly, they should be given full attention so their needs could immediately be tended. It's best for them to be monitored carefully. She doesn't want to risk both Sakura and the baby's health so she started working at home for the important files and deals.

It came to the point where she asked for her cousin, Kim Chaewon's help to manage the company. Although she was teased by the younger girl as she was completely obedient towards what Sakura wants, the girl still willingly accepted more than a half of her workload saying that she's bored anyways since Minjoo, who is also her fiancee, was too busy at work so she can't really bug her and her elder step-sister, Kwon Eunbi, is the one managing their family company so she barely had something to do.

Still, it wasn't enough to discourage Chaeyeon. Rather, it made her enjoy her now busy life with someone who's dependent on her. She wanted to answer everything Sakura needs. She wants the girl to remain happy.

"Chaeyeon, I'm done getting everything I'm craving for." Sakura smiled brightly at her so Chaeyeon returned the same smile.

_I'm pretty sure the sun isn't as dazzling as Sakura._

"That's good. Let's go over the counter now to pay for the bill." She was about to lead Sakura towards the counter when she felt the girl refuse to budge from where she's standing.

"Don't you have anything you want to buy?"

"Hmm? Nothing in particular."

Sakura started pouting and seeing that, Chaeyeon couldn't help but just lie that she wants to buy something before the girl becomes emotional again. Maybe others would find it irritating but for her, it was simply cute. "Okay, maybe some yogurt."

"I'll go get it!" The girl walked towards the fridges and took a big cup of greek yogurt, a grin on her face. "Here it is!"

Chaeyeon chuckled and patted the girl's head. "Thank you, Saku-chan."

"Let's pay for it now."

"Huh? Sakura?"

Out of nowhere, a voice caught their attention. The two of them looked at the cashier who was busy fiddling with her phone earlier. She was staring at Sakura out of curiosity and was peeking from the counter.

"Kang-chan? Is that you?"

"Kang-chan?" Chaeyeon parroted Sakura.

The cashier smiled at them. "So it really is you. It's been a while, Sakura. Hello, uhh..."

"Chaeyeon. Lee Chaeyeon." She offered her hand to the girl who then accepted it without any questions.

"Hello, Chaeyeon. I'm Kang Hyewon. Sakura's friend."

"Oh, Saku-chan, is she perhaps?"

"Yeah, the girl I was referring to back then in the hospital. I can't believe you still remembered that." Sakura giggled.

"What are you two talking about?" Hyewon looked at them weirdly before her eyes fell on Sakura's stomach. "Wait... what? You're pregnant?"

Chaeyeon raised her eyebrows in surprise since the girl didn't know about Sakura's pregnancy. She had thought that Sakura's friend was aware of her situation due to the fact that she decided to try asking for Hyewon's help back in the past but it turned out to be a surprise even for her.

"Kang-chan, I'm fifteen weeks pregnant. I'm sorry, I never told you." The pregnant girl looked at her, guilt visible on her face.

"Is she your partner? Are you two married?" Hyewon pointed at Chaeyeon with her chin.

"N-no!" Sakura blushed, making Chaeyeon confused. "She just took me in when she met me. She personally knows the late father of my baby so she said she'll take responsibility instead."

"Late father?"

Chaeyeon intervened in their conversation. "Jaehyun died in an accident months ago. Sakura tried contacting him for help since she didn't know and she's really having a hard time so I went to meet her in his stead. I never knew that he ended up leaving an unborn kid behind before he died so I thought it's best that I become their guardian."

"I see." Hyewon closed her eyes and sighed. "I won't pry any further. I'm just glad that you're alright, Sakura. We haven't seen each other for more than half a year."

"Thank you, Kang-chan." Sakura smiled at her before Hyewon started punching the things that they bought which were mainly chocolates and a bundle of banana from the small fruit section of the store.

"Oh, by the way. Are you free tomorrow?"

Hyewon looked at the smiling Chaeyeon blankly, her almost never-changing emotionless face finally showed slight confusion.

"Why don't you come to visit our place? So you two can also catch up."

Sakura grabbed Chaeyeon's arm to catch the girl's attention. "Eh? Is it fine?"

"Yeah, it is. Don't worry. You said you want my friends to come over, right? Then we should bring your friend too."

The girl behind the counter paused for a bit before giving them a serious look. "Is there any food?"

Sakura laughed at her, remembering that the girl in front of her is actually a glutton. "Chaeyeon is a talented cook, you know—" 

"Okay. I'll go there." She cut her short excitedly, her eyes sparkling at the mention of food.

Chaeyeon let out a laugh. "I'll prepare food for everyone then order some for addition. Is there anything you particularly want to eat?"

"Me! Me! Me! I want tteokbokki!" Sakura being so bubbly raised her hand in desperation.

"Yes, of course. There will be tteokbokki for you."

"How about you, Hyewon?"

"Takoyaki..."

"Oh. How about we order a hundred of them tomorrow then?"

"Deal." Chaeyeon swore that she could see fire in the girl's eyes at the mention of takoyaki.

"Let's exchange contact details so I can send you our address later."

Hyewon nodded and took out her phone.

A second after exchanging contact information, Hyewon told them the total for their payment. "Ah, right. The bill is 56,300 won."

Chaeyeon handed her some bills to pay. "I'll give the rest to you as a tip. We'll see you tomorrow, Hyewon." 

"Oh, thanks. See you."

"Here, Kang-chan. I'll give you two pieces of these chocolates. Have a good day!" Sakura whispered to her before gleefully walking towards Chaeyeon who was waiting in front of the door with a smile. She waved at Hyewon before finally leaving the store carrying three bags of food.

"I'm glad to see you happy, Sakura." 

Hyewon's features softened to a sincere smile. She was simply glad that her friend could finally smile like that once again.


	3. Mood Swings

Chaeyeon put down a pot of cheese tteokbokki at the middle of the big wooden table placed in the center of their living room. There were several dishes she cooked that are already on the table.

"Chaeyeon, they say they're already in the elevator but Eunbi-unnie, Yena, and Yuri are going to be late. Hyewon is on her way too." Sakura informed her while fiddling with her phone, probably chatting with others before she set it down beside her.

"Oh, that's good. I'll go order the takoyaki I promised Hyewon. Maybe a box of pizza too." The younger girl giggled when she saw the pregnant woman almost salivate at the sight of the food she prepared. "Want to eat some now? We can't have our baby waiting for food."

"N-no, it's okay. They'll be here in a minute!" Sakura shook her head in denial but her eyes were still stuck on the cheese tteokbokki.

Chaeyeon sighed and smiled at her. "It's fine to eat now. They wouldn't mind plus you shouldn't hold back."

The older girl looked at Chaeyeon in disbelief, eyes teary before walking towards their bedroom. "I hate you!"

_Huh? Wait. What did I do?_

The younger girl was left stunned at the other girl's sudden mood swing when the doorbell suddenly rang. She quickly jogged towards the door and welcomed their guests.

"Unnie!" Minjoo hugged Chaeyeon. "Thank you for inviting us! Here are some presents from me and Chaewon."

"Hi, Chaeyeon-unnie. We got you some vitamins for both Sakura-unnie and the baby." Chaewon added who was just behind the excited Minjoo. Chaeyeon gave them a smile but her mind was elsewhere.

"Thanks, Chaewon, Minjoo."

Although she wants to greet them properly, she chose not to lengthen the conversation. Chaeyeon gave them another smile, ushering them inside in a hurry.

"Sorry, Sakura suddenly cried just a second before you guys arrived so I gotta go to her soon."

"What? Unnie, you should've gone to her first. Pregnant women are really sensitive so you should be more careful with your words and actions." Minjoo told Chaeyeon sternly while frowning making Chaewon chuckle.

"Calm down, babe." She patted her fiancee's head.

"Unnie, go to Sakura-unnie. We'll take care of the stuff here. Don't worry." Nako who was trying to stand on her toes just to let herself be seen by Chaeyeon added. A quiet Hitomi was also beside her, worry adorning her adorable face, giving her a nod.

"Yeah, just close the door, okay? Thanks. I'll go to her now."

Without waiting for their response, Chaeyeon spun on her heels and ran towards their bedroom, gently knocking on the door where she can hear someone's sniffling.

"Saku-chan, I'll enter the room."

She silently opened the door to see Sakura hiding under the duvet, crying noises audible enough for others to hear before closing the door to give them privacy. She sat beside the lump on the bed and reached for it, gently caressing Sakura's shoulder before letting herself lie down while her right arm supported her upper body.

"Hey... I'm sorry if I hurt you. Come on, don't cry. I'll be sad if you do."

Chaeyeon felt Sakura shift underneath the covers to face her. The girl slowly peeked from the blanket to see Chaeyeon's facial expression. Her eyes, red from tears. The younger girl couldn't help but sigh and give her a reassuring smile before hugging Sakura.

"I'm not mad. It's okay for you to hate me if I did something wrong. I don't want you to be sad. The baby will be sad too, you know."

"I'm sorry. I don't hate you." Chaeyeon let out a breathy laugh as she felt Sakura bury her face on the crook of her neck. "I love you."

The younger girl felt herself freeze at the girl's words before stroking Sakura's back. There was a lump in her throat when she thinks about the words she had to tell her. _She doesn't feel the same way. She shouldn't. _But she has to answer her back or the girl will keep on crying.

"Yeah, I love you too. Let's go outside now. They're here."

She felt Sakura hum but the girl still refused to let go of her. "Saku-chan?"

"I want to soak myself in your scent more. I really like it." Sakura giggled then burrowed her face further. 

It took a couple of minutes for Sakura to let go of the younger girl. When they went out, they were met by Chaeyeon's friends who already started eating the food they prepared.

"See? I told you you don't need to hold yourself back since they themselves can't stop their appetite." Chaeyeon laughed at her frozen friends. The moment they emerged out of the room, they all stopped moving as if they were deers caught in the headlights. Even Sakura couldn't help but giggle at them.

"Sorry, unnie. We weren't able to control ourselves. You know that your cooking is our stomachs' weakness." Everyone laughed dryly at Minjoo's honest words when the doorbell rang again.

"I'll go get it. It might be the delivery. You should eat now, Saku-chan." Chaeyeon squeezed Sakura's hand then left to answer for the door.

"Hyewon?" The younger girl raised her brows in amusement when she saw Hyewon casually chatting with another girl who was wearing a food delivery uniform. "Seems like you made a friend."

Hyewon smirked at her. "Not really. She's here for the takoyaki."

Chaeyeon smiled at the girl who was blushing. "Here's my payment. Keep the change."

"You really love giving people tips huh."

"It's a token of thanks for the service so why not?" Chaeyeon chuckled.

"Well, true. Ah, take care on your way." Hyewon waved goodbye at the girl but the girl suddenly grabbed her wrist and kissed her cheek.

"Oh, Chaeyeon! Wait, am I disturbing something?" 

The three of them looked at the source of voice like meerkats before the delivery girl scuttled away which only made Hyewon shrug.

"Eunbi-unnie? You're late." The youngest of the three smiled then introduced Hyewon who was only staring at the newly arrived guest. "This is Kang Hyewon, Sakura's friend."

"Oh, hi. I'm Kwon Eunbi. Chaeyeon's cousin, although not related by blood." Eunbi smiled cheekily at the Hyewon while the later only gave her a blank expression. They were shaking hands when Chaeyeon finally talked again.

"Why don't you guys come inside first? We'll introduce Hyewon to others too."

"Wait, what about the girl before? Isn't she her girlfriend or something? I think I just saw them kissing."

"Uh, no. I just talked to her to calm her down earlier because she seemed to be panicking about ringing the doorbell but she suddenly kissed my cheek."

"Oh, my bad. Anyway, have I seen you before?"

"Eunbi-unnie..." Chaeyeon laughed while wiggling her eyebrows at the girl.

"Shut up." The older girl rolled her eyes from the unnecessary teasing.

"I don't think I've already met you though. Oh, and that kiss. Anyone would misunderstand that." Hyewon shrugged again and chuckled before entering Chaeyeon and Sakura's unit.

"Kang-chan!" Sakura ran towards Hyewon to engulf her in an embrace.

"Careful, Sakura. The baby might get squished."

"Ah, Eunbi-unnie too!" The girl grabbed Eunbi's arm to pull her in a hug with Hyewon. Although Hyewon didn't really mind, Eunbi found it awkward that she had to hug Hyewon as well but she didn't show it so as to not hurt the pregnant Sakura's feelings. This only earned a couple of giggles from the people seating on the sofa while stuffing their mouths with food since they knew that Eunbi isn't comfortable hugging people she doesn't really know.

"Guys, let me introduce you to my friend! She's Kang Hyewon, a model!" 

"You don't really need to say the last part. Right now, I'm just a part-timer at a convenience store." Hyewon scoffed at Sakura's remark making the latter pout.

"Wait a minute, she is? Then... have you ever modeled for Llimz Fashion Magazine?"

"...yes? Even Sakura did two years ago."

Everyone in the room except Hyewon, who decided to start eating as well, whipped their heads towards Sakura. She was back to clinging to Chaeyeon's arm.

"Saku-chan you're a model?!"

"I _was_ a model before."

The younger girl felt Sakura's mood drop once again at the mention of her (not really) shocking past so she immediately decided to change the subject.

"Th-that's amazing. Well, it's not that surprising given that you're really pretty." Chaeyeon let out an awkward laugh but her words actually made Sakura's cheeks be tinted in pink as she lightly slapped her arm in embarrassment, earning a teasing look from everyone.

"Am I seeing what I'm seeing?" Chaewon laughed.

"You two look so good together, unnie." Hitomi added.

"To be honest, you both pretty much look like a wedded couple. You guys should just marry. You have everyone's approval." Nako gave them a thumbs up while wiggling her eyebrows, the same thing Chaeyeon did to Eunbi earlier.

"Sh-shut it. That's not how it is." Chaeyeon shook her head in denial but they all gasped when they saw Sakura tears flow down her cheeks.

_Again?!_

"Ah! Sakura-unnie, she doesn't mean it! P-please, don't cry!" Nako ran towards Sakura and hugged her while Hitomi just stayed frozen on her seat as if she malfunctioned.

Chaeyeon couldn't help but scream inside her mind. This was the reason why she felt so stressed when they all met last time.

She has never been in a relationship nor has she been in love as she claimed that she does not deserve to be loved and love others after what she did. However, despite thinking that way, her friends tend to always tell her otherwise. They all want her to openly experience love and be in a relationship like ordinary girls do. Chaeyeon is kind, selfless, genuine, sincere, and everything but the only thing she doesn't have is the confidence and forgiveness towards her very own self. She always blames no one but it became a headache for all of her friends. Although she's easily forgiving towards others, she never forgives herself as if it is a sin in itself. They knew it's because of her _past_ but there's nothing they can do to convince her... until Sakura appeared.

Chaewon was staring at her cousin, worry written all over her face.

On the other hand, everyone else was panicking, even Hyewon who was busy eating put down her chopsticks and tried to comfort the crying Sakura. She was already sobbing and this made Minjoo squint her eyes at Chaeyeon, trying to relay her message.

_TAKE. YOUR. WORDS. BACK. NOW._

Chaeyeon sighed before she took Sakura's hand. The older girl was just looking downwards so she bent her knees to let their eyes meet. Their friends just let them be and went back to their seat, stealing some glances at the pair.

"Saku-chan."

"..."

"Saku-chan..."

Sakura gave Chaeyeon a quick glimpse. This made Chaeyeon smile and hug her. "I'm sorry. Please don't be mad. I hurt you... I'm really sorry."

"...d-do you really hate the idea of us being together?"

Sakura broke the hug and stared at Chaeyeon's dark brown orbs. It has been a month since they met and Sakura started to become extremely attached to Chaeyeon. She knew it's not just because she's pregnant... although she also admits that she appreciates Chaeyeon more than others because of her frequent mood swings which the girl was able to deal with without problems. Aside from that, Chaeyeon has always been there for her, prioritizing her as if she's someone really important to her. She has never felt that even when she was still with her family. She's a disappointment. She is a girl who can't pass down their family's long history, nothing but a failure. It doesn't matter if she aced her exams and topped the rankings in their prestigious school and university. She's still useless for her family... but... Chaeyeon is different, extremely different. They were not blood-related nor were they acquainted when she decided to take in Sakura and the baby in her womb. They were practically strangers who met due to a misunderstanding through a common connection but she was the most gentle person Sakura has ever met. There was simply something in Chaeyeon that attracted her.... something that made her really like the girl which she couldn't explain. Chaeyeon... it just feels like she's someone special to her.

The said person's angelic voice interrupted her thoughts. "Saku-chan, it's just I feel that it's wrong if I suddenly get in a relationship with you. What about Jaehyun?"

Sakura kept mum.

"I want to respect Jaehyun so I can't just do that. He's a _really_ important friend for me. I'm so sorry."

_I won't take anything away from him again._

Chaeyeon hugged Sakura with her eyes closed. "Please understand me."

"So... you don't hate me?"

"I don't hate you. I will never hate you." Chaeyeon smiled.

Her words also made Sakura smile so the girls watching them looked at them with heart-warming eyes... except for one girl. Chaewon was still looking at Chaeyeon worriedly since earlier. The younger girl's cousin then let out a heavy sigh.

"Well? Let's eat now? The baby is hungry."

Chaeyeon broke their hug and beamed at Sakura but the girl puffed her cheeks. "Feed me."

Chaeyeon giggled then nodded. "Anything for you, my queen."

As they all decided to eat, the doorbell rang once again. Nako presented herself to open the door so she immediately ran towards the door to open it, revealing two figures, one carrying a baby.

"Ya! Chaeyeon-ah! Are we too late?"

It was Chaeyeon's duck-like best friend, Choi Yena, being all haggard while her hamster-like college friend, Jo Yuri, who is also Yena's wife, is carrying their six months old baby, smiling at her.

"Hi there, baby!"

Yena handed Chaeyeon the pizza box she was holding before wiping her sweaty forehead, despite it being quite cold outside, with the back of her hand. "I saw the delivery guy so I just paid for it. I knew it was you from the floor he mentioned. You have the whole storey for yourself."

"Thanks, Yena." Chaeyeon smiled at her best friend when Sakura suddenly stood up as soon as she saw Yuri carrying the smiling baby whose dimples were showing in her arms.

"Ah! Baby Yujin!" Sakura grinned and skipped towards the two.


	4. Chapter 4: Cousins

Hitomi was staring at Sakura who was using Chaeyeon's lap as a pillow while lying down on the big sofa. She even noticed the girl's eyes flutter to a close as a cheshire grin appeared on her beautiful face when Chaeyeon started running her hands through her short hair gently while the latter was chatting with Yena and Yuri.

_Wow. She's like a cat._

"A penny for your thoughts, Hiichan?"

Chaewon nudged her side while smirking. "Anything interesting?"

"...nothing in particular. I just thought Sakura-unnie resembles a cat."

"Oooh. A cat? We've already got a duck and a hamster. Now, even a cat?" She giggled.

"Did you just forget to include your fiancee?"

"Oh right, she's my frog." Chaewon grinned at her own words. She also started playing with Minjoo's hair while the girl was just soundly sleeping on her lap. It seems like the doctor has been busy at the hospital lately so she hasn't gotten enough sleep but still pushed herself to come to their small gathering.

"Hiichan! Look at Yujin! She's so cute!" A loud voice that came out of nowhere cut their conversation short. It was Nako carrying baby Yujin who was busy biting on her teether.

Hitomi couldn't help but smile at her hyper girlfriend. "Want to have one soon too?"

Nako's face turned beet red from embarrassment. Chaewon, on the other hand, whistled at them before letting out an airy chuckle. "You two should just marry."

"Who's gonna get married after my sister?" Eunbi chimed in making Hitomi smile while Chaewon snickered.

"I just asked Nako if she wants to have a baby soon as well, unnie."

"We already talked about this, Hiichan." Nako puffed her reddish cheeks.

"Okay, okay. Next year just as we promised."

"What promise?" Chaewon intervened.

"Nako promised me that she'll be ready to marry me by next year!" Hitomi wore a victorious smile, her hands forming peace signs. Everyone who heard her started clapping, their mouths forming an "o" from amusement but Eunbi frowned and started pouting.

"How nice. You guys sure are having a good love life."

Chaewon rolled her eyes. "Maybe if you give time for love and stop dating with your paperwork and board meetings, you'll finally stop being single."

"It's not like I _love_ working _that _much. It's partly out of responsibility that those geezers passed to me." The oldest sighed before heading towards Nako and Yujin to play with them. "I bet Hyewon has a lover too. I'm the only single person here."

The girl mentioned, who was still silently munching some pizza on the side while playing a game on her phone, heard everything she said so she nonchalantly muttered a retort. "I'm single too though. Is there anything bad about that? At least I don't get headaches from stupid arguments and I don't have any commitment."

Eunbi froze.

_Even though she's that gorgeous? Is it so she can flirt with girls just like earlier?_

She shook her head from her trance then took the baby from the petite girl in front of her to busy herself when Yujin suddenly let out a squeal and adorable giggle. Eunbi, Hitomi, Nako, and even Chaewon ended up busying themselves, trying to coo the irresistible baby in front of them. She's just full of charms that they almost cried.

"Oh wow. You're still not done eating? Despite being a model, you sure have an appetite." Yena approached and tapped the silent Hyewon's shoulder.

She was finally done blabbering with her best friend about some tips for pregnant women and how to deal with them since she just went through the same thing half a year ago. Although Yuri stayed with Chaeyeon because she ended up talking more about the kids she oh so love that she became a pediatrician, Yena left them while still reminiscing her fun sufferings just to please her wife back then, who was carrying Yujin in her womb. Those happenings are still as clear as day. The vivid memories of Yuri snapping at her for not buying sausages (since she doesn't want her to eat processed meat) that she's craving for, even the time when she was woken up by her at two in the morning just to buy some chicken drumsticks. She heard from Chaeyeon that Sakura also kept on asking for them so Yena ended up wondering what's with the combination of chicken drumsticks and pregnant women.

"Glad you're finally finished chatting with Chaeyeon after more than two hours?" Hyewon smirked.

"Well, I figured I already gave her enough tips and she still has Yuri who knows more about pregnant people." Yena shrugged then sat beside Hyewon. "What are you playing?"

"Just a boring rhythm game. I wish they had something like PS4 here so I can play good games."

"Wait a minute. You love games too?!"

"You too?"

"Hell yeah! Oh, Chaeyeon is keeping a PS4 here somewhere since I usually drag her and Eunbi to play as well and so, she decided to buy one for us when we come here!"

"Seriously?" A never seen before smile spread on Hyewon's face. "I never thought she has one because Sakura isn't even playing right now."

"She's a gamer?" Yena tilted her head in curiosity, her beak showing.

"An addict to be exact. She loves games way more than I do so it's surprising not to see her playing right now." 

Both Hyewon and Yena's line of sights fell on Sakura. The girl had practically buried her face on Chaeyeon's stomach while hugging her waist, the latter still left unbothered by her action.

"I never knew Chaeyeon kept a cat." Yena laughed. "Anyway, not playing games probably has something to do with her pregnancy."

"Really? I still remember her saying she'll die if she doesn't play a game within one day." Hyewon said with a blank face, her orbs were sparkling in interest, however.

"That's a game addict, indeed. She probably stopped so she doesn't get too emotional. That's not good for the baby."

"Wow, pregnant women have it tough."

"Trust me, if you became pregnant or took care of a pregnant woman, you'll experience both heaven and hell."

"So you're saying Chaeyeon is experiencing both as of the moment?"

The two of them laughed.

"As for her case, I think it's only heaven... in a way." Yena had a sad smile on her face but Hyewon remained quiet.

She knows she'll be friends with these girls starting that day so although she was intrigued by Yena's actions, she'll just wait for them to open up. She doesn't like being nosy in other people's private lives.

"Anyways, want to hang out next week at my place? We can play one versus one!" Yena quacked while grinning.

Hyewon nodded while smiling. She was rather comfortable with their presence even if she never told them directly. It's something she rarely feels when she's with people she doesn't really know so she decided to hang out with them again in the near future when she's free.

\--

"Unnie, can I talk to you for a sec?" Chaewon gestured at Chaeyeon.

The others have gone home and only her and the still snoring Minjoo on the couch were left. Chaeyeon was carefully carrying the sleeping Sakura on her arms on their way to the bedroom. She gave the younger girl a nod before gently laying down the pregnant girl on the bed for a comfortable sleep.

"What's wrong?"

Chaewon remained silent for a while. When she finally mustered up some courage, she weakly called out to her older cousin. "Unnie..."

"Yeah?"

"I'm really sorry..."

Chaeyeon was bewildered at the younger girl's action. "What are you sorry about?"

"I should've immediately told you about the accident as soon as that happened." Chaewon looked at the older girl, on the verge of crying. She remembered witnessing the accident which left Chaeyeon devastated for weeks. She knew could've further saved the guy but was too shocked to even contact Chaeyeon.

"Chaewon, it's not your fault. You didn't know anything about us back then so you wouldn't think about contacting me at that time. I never told you about his whereabouts. Besides, you went as far as calling for the ambulance and being with him."

"B-but I knew he looked _exactly like you_ so I already had an idea about his identity. I've also heard the _rumors_ in our family so I should've gotten a clue. Even though it has been seventeen years since we last saw each other... I was so stupid to not realize it was Jaehyun-oppa."

Chaeyeon shushed the crying Chaewon. The younger girl has been silent about her guilt for the past two months. She had failed to call Chaeyeon when a dying Jaehyun was sent to the hospital. She had always regretted that she didn't call for her cousin to at least let Chaeyeon meet him while he's still alive even for a few minutes... but she wasn't able to because of her panic and cluelessness. She's an idiot. It was the least she can do to her_ suffering cousins _but she still failed to give them their tiny bit of happiness.

"Shhh. It's fine. Jaehyun would be sad if he finds out hisfavorite cousinis crying because of him."

Chaewon couldn't help but smile at the elder's words. "You're the one who appeared to the police station to pick up Jaehyun's things, right?"

"Well, he has no one but me..."

"I'm glad you were able to pick it up in the morning of the day you met Sakura-unnie."

"I know, right?" 

Chaeyeon smiled when she remembered the time when she finally had the courage to set foot in the police station to get Jaehyun's things a month since the accident. That was the only time she finally felt better after grieving for weeks. If she was a day late, she'll probably never going to meet Sakura. Perhaps it was fate that they met that day. It was a meeting that drastically changed her life.

"I'm just happy that you met Sakura-unnie."

"Me too."

_"I wish she'll be the one to help you pull yourself out from your unending sadness." _Chaewon whispered to herself.

"Hmm? Did you say something?"

"No, nothing. I noticed that you've been rather energetic lately."

"I've always been energetic though?"

"You've become more open, unnie. Just like the old times. I can't thank Sakura-unnie enough."

"Chaewon..."

"Unnie, you need to stop blaming yourself about what happened in the past."

Chaeyeon couldn't help but fall silent. Her eyes fell on the short-haired girl who was curled up on the bed.

"It was the fault of our twisted elders. You're not to blame. If not for them, the two of you would be living under one roof since you were babies. You could've enjoyed a normal life."

"Sorry..."

"Unnie, please. Stop saying sorry when you've done nothing wrong. You'll only hurt us."

"....."

"It's okay. The cursed family tradition has been stopped with the help of Eunbi-unnie's mother." Chaewon cleared her throat. "With _our _mom's help. If not for her, we'll still be living in a cage of strange ideals and beliefs."

"...yeah." Chaeyeon smiled weakly at her words.

"Anyways, I never thought he's going to be a father this soon..." Chaewon couldn't stop smiling at the thought of a mini-Chaeyeon or mini-Jaehyun running around.

"Me neither. I didn't even think he's the type to sleep with a girl he just met." This time, Chaeyeon finally let out a chuckle.

Chaewon whipped her head towards Chaeyeon in shock. "Wait, what?"

"Saku-chan told me that _something_ happened between them the first time they met. I can't blame him though. It's Sakura we're talking about."

"Woah... I thought he's a kitten. Turns out he's a lion." Chaewon laughed.

"And you're still our Baby Cheetah." Chaeyeon ruffled her cousin's hair playfully.

"Unnie, you're ruining my hair!" The younger girl puffed her cheeks in protest but a naughty grin slowly crept up her face. "Well, if he's a lion, then I bet you're just as wild as him too."

"Hey!" The older chuckled and pinched Chaewon's side. 

After a few minutes of teasing and tickling, the two finally stopped to catch their breaths. There were beads of sweat trickling down their skin after silently running around the unit (not to disturb their partners who were resting) while playing around. It's been a while since they acted like kids. They always had to act mature in front of others but the fact that they still have this childish side does not change at all.

"Unnie, you tired me out." Chaewon was gasping for air as she plopped down the free couch in front of her sleeping fiancee.

"That just means you're not as fit anymore." Chaeyeon sat beside her while breathing heavily though not as bad as Chaewon. 

"Then I guess I should start working out more."

"You really should. You might not last two rounds with Minjoo during your honeymoon." The older cackled.

"Shut up!" She hit the older girl with a pillow while laughing. "Really though, I can't wait for August to arrive."

Chaeyeon smiled. The last week of August till the first week of September was Sakura's predicted due date.

"Excited to see Jaehyun's baby?"

"Hell yeah. I'd probably spoil the brat. Though I think you'll spoil _your _child more."

"What are you talking about now?" Chaeyeon raised her eyebrows.

"Technically, the baby could pass as your child."

"Oh, right." This time, the older laughed dryly.

"Finally realized it? Genetically speaking, his baby is not just your niece. It's more than that." 

"...how do you even know those stuff..." Chaeyeon chortled.

"Maybe helping my girlfriend review for the licensure exam back then helped me learn things more."

"Why do I feel like you could've passed that exam too." Chaewon laughed at Chaeyeon's comment.

"Well, being excellent in studies is in our blood."

"Then I guess the baby's going to be one hell of a genius then."

"Oh? Why is that?"

"I've heard from Sakura that she once topped the national rankings for highschoolers in Japan."

"Well... the baby is going to be a monster." The younger girl shook her head while smiling. "Darn. Our bloodline is dangerous."

The cousins remained silent for a second before they burst out laughing together.


	5. Mrs. Lee

A loud ring woke up a girl wearing a white coat.

"Hello?"

_[Doctor Minjoo, sorry to disturb you when it's not your duty right now but there's currently an emergency we can't deal with right now. We're short of people.]_

"Okay."

The girl immediately got up her feet and ran towards the emergency room where the hospital staff were scurrying about. It seems like there was a big accident that happened which required multiple patients to arrive within/ just a few minutes.

"Doctor Minjoo! Over here!"

Minjoo ran towards one of the emergency beds where the voice came from. She felt her heart drop when she saw the sight in front of her but she quickly composed herself and checked the pregnant woman who was in a grave state.

_Looks like the dad is going to make a big decision._

"Where's her guardian?"

"Sorry doc, sadly, her husband has been sent earlier and is currently being operated on. There are no other relatives we can contact to ask for consent. We can't save the two of them."

The doctor remained silent before glaring at the nurse, "No, I'm Doctor Kim Minjoo. I'll save them both."

\--

Minjoo in her scrubs plopped down the sofa of her office then groaned. It took hours to finish the surgery she performed on her pregnant patient but her fatigue instantly went away when she thinks about the fact that she was able to save the mother and the baby. She even overheard about the success of the operation on the woman's partner which only makes her feel even better.

"Minmin?"

A sweet voice came from the door of her office which made her sit up. It seems like an angel has come to visit her, an angel she loves so much who's gonna be hers really soon. A smile crept up her haggard but still beautiful face.

"Hey, Chae..."

"You look so tired. You didn't even hear me knock."

"Oh, sorry. I only slept for three hours today and have just finished a long operation."

"Again?"

"It was an emergency."

Chaewon hummed and sat beside Minjoo, letting the younger girl's head rest on her shoulder.

"I saved both the baby and the mother... the baby won't... experience the same things I experienced..." The girl weakly said with a smile.

"You've done well. I'm so proud of you. Rest for now, okay?" Minjoo only gave a low hum while snuggling closer to Chaewon who was soothingly stroking her hair.

It didn't take a minute for the younger girl to start breathing steadily. She was just so exhausted from her daily duties as both a gynecologist and an emergency doctor. It worries Chaewon but she's still supportive of her. She's living her dream job and there's nothing more joyful than that.

Suddenly, the younger girl's private phone started vibrating. Chaewon reached for her phone and checked the call. Great. It's her cousin. Of course, she calls Chaewon's fiancee almost every day out of worry for Sakura.

"Hello?"

_[Chaewon? Where's Minjoo?]_

"She just fell asleep, unnie." Chaewon chuckled. "Is there anything wrong?"

_[N-nothing. It's just... Sakura has been bugging me about something but I'm not so sure if it's safe.]_

Chaewon's eyebrows raised from amusement. "What is it about?"

_[Sh-she says she wants to go see Tokyo Skytree out of nowhere and has been throwing tantrums since I told her no at first.]_

"Oh, so it's about traveling then?" Chaewon couldn't stop herself from giggling which made the girl on her shoulder to wake up.

"Who are you talking to while giggling cutely like that?" Minjoo muttered in a low tone, eyes emotionless surprising Chaewon but a smile appeared on the older girl's face. Her jealous fiancee is just too adorable in her eyes no matter what she does. She gently bopped Minju's nose then kissed her forehead.

"Sorry for waking you up. It's no one you have to be jealous about. Chaeyeon-unnie just wants to ask something." Chaewon passed the phone back to Minjoo who let her head fall on Chaewon's lap like a child.

"Unnie? What's wrong" Minjoo reached for Chaewon's face while staring up at her affectionately.

_[Why do I feel like you're flirting with Chaewon right now...]_

"Bingo." Chaewon answered her cousin.

Minju giggled, her dimples showing. This made Chaewon lean forward and kiss her. She just couldn't control the urge to capture Minjoo's lips when she smiles. God knows how whipped she is for her. Suddenly, they started to deepen the kiss, actually forgetting about the phone call.

_[...yeah, I think I'm disturbing you.]_

Minjoo pulled away from their kiss. "Sorry, sorry. It's because Chaewon kissed me."

Chaewon rolled her eyes. "As if you're not the one who pulled me even closer when all I want was a peck."

_[Hey. Is nobody going to answer my question? Please at least reply to me! Saku-chan is on the verge of crying!] _Chaeyeon started whining from the other line which made the lovers laugh.

"Sorry, unnie. I think it's fine to travel." Chaewon was the one to answer Chaeyeon's question from earlier. She then faced Minjoo who didn't know what the older inquired about. "She was asking if it's fine for Sakura-unnie to travel to Tokyo."

"Oh. The second trimester is the best time to travel for pregnant women, unnie. It's okay to bring her there. Just be careful not to make her too stressed, okay?"

_[Okay got it. Thanks!]_

\--

_[Be careful during your travel! Have a safe trip.] _Chaeyeon could hear Chaewon and Minjoo chuckling over the phone.

"Yeah, yeah. You can continue doing whatever you were doing earlier. Don't get too wild in the office though." This time, it was Chaeyeon who was laughing before she dropped the call when the two started rebutting her.

She faced the sad Sakura who was curled up on the bed with a grin. "Saku-chan, let's prepare our things now. We're going to Japan."

Her words immediately made the girl on her bed almost literally glow from happiness. "Really?!"

"Yes, really. I'll message Nako first to book our flight as soon as possible."

"Thank you!" Sakura gave her a tight hug.

"How long do you want to stay there? A week?"

"A week? But didn't we schedule an appointment with Minjoo next week for a check-up?

"Then three days?"

Sakura excitedly nodded then kissed Chaeyeon's cheek before hurrying towards their closet, leaving Chaeyeon who was as still as a statue from the shock she received. Her brain just experienced a short-circuit from Sakura's unexpected action. It was both electrifying and lethal for the bachelorette as she felt like she could die anytime soon the moment Sakura's lips touched her sensitive skin.

_This is bad._

"Chaeyeon, aren't you going to prepare?"

"O-oh. Y-yes, I'm going to." Chaeyeon felt her knees wobble when she started moving.

"What are you doing?" Sakura giggled.

"Sorry. I just felt tired after standing for two hours."

"But you just stood there for ten minutes?"

"...did I?"

"You're being weird." The older girl laughed then went back to carefully packing her things. Chaeyeon took a deep breath to compose herself and approached the girl from behind. She guided Sakura to stand up before gently stroking her now bigger tummy.

"You should sit on the bed, Saku-chan. I'll pack our clothes, okay? Our baby might get too stressed."

_Our..._

Sakura's ears perked up and a smile as bright as the day adorned her face, cheeks pinkish from bashfulness. She noticed Chaeyeon becoming more open to her since their friends visited them almost two weeks ago and... of course, she's not complaining. Who would when a Lee Chaeyeon is always there taking care of you sweetly? Chaeyeon has been trying to stop herself from referring to Sakura's baby just as "the", "your", or "his" baby. Her way of calling their still unborn child back then made her feel distant to the girl but now, she's finally changing... Sakura couldn't be any happier.

She suddenly engulfed Chaeyeon in a tight hug, nuzzling her face on the crook of Chaeyeon's neck as usual, enjoying the younger girl's sweet scent of peach to herself. She barely wears perfume but there's just something in her smell which makes Sakura feel so calm, calm yet enticed. There was a slight resemblance to _his _smell but she liked Chaeyeon's a hundred times more, she doesn't know why.

Sakura felt Chaeyeon return her hug before she started stroking the older girl's hair.

\--

"We're finally here!!!!" Sakura shouted in Japanese with all her heart, earning some curious gazes from the foreign tourists around them; some laughing, some smiling at them warmly. They had just arrived at the airport and Sakura couldn't hide her oozing hype. It has been five whole years since she stepped foot in her home country.

Chaeyeon chuckled at her and replied in the same language. "Hey, be careful. Don't get too excited."

"What? You can speak in Japanese?"

_...she sounds so sexy._

"I've actually studied the language before we invested in a Japanese company." The younger girl scratched her nape.

"Why didn't you tell me..." Sakura started pouting at her.

"You've been speaking in Korean fluently all this time. There was no need for me to speak in your language." Chaeyeon ruffled Sakura's hair. "Let's go to our hotel for now. You have to rest first since we just flew from Korea."

Sakura nodded while smiling and followed Chaeyeon who was dragging their luggage.

It didn't take even ten minutes of walking for them to arrive at the hotel Nako reserved for them. The moment they arrived, the bellboy took their bag and put it on a trolley with a smile then waited for them patiently.

A beautiful and elegant looking elderly welcomed them with a smile at the reception area. "Hello, good morning! How may— oh my, how careless of me. It's you... Mrs. Lee?"

"Mrs. Lee?" A dumbfounded Sakura parroted. "You got married? To who?"

When she looked at Chaeyeon, the younger girl had her eyebrows raised in confusion for a second then she just chortled before winking at her as if asking her to play along with Miss Saito.

"My apologies, Mrs. Lee. I am Saito Fuyuka, the current supervisor of the hotel." The woman bowed to her respectfully.

_What's with the Mrs. Lee..._

She doesn't know if she's more confused than happy but deep inside her, she thought maybe it's not that bad.

"I'm Sakura." She introduced herself as well and gave her a smile.

"It's nice to meet you, Mrs. Lee."

Chaeyeon laughed at the elder lady's words but didn't bother correcting her. "We reserved a room, Miss Saito."

"Oh, I heard you did earlier this morning." Miss Saito let out a graceful giggle. "I actually never expected that you'd bring your wife with you."

The younger girl only smiled at her remark. "Well, as you can see, she's pregnant so I want her to rest as soon as she can. It's fine if you don't offer us welcome drinks. Just bring us some hot chocolate later. Sakura likes it better. Oh, and can you please ready as a good car for later? We're going to the Skytree before evening."

"Certainly, Mrs. Lee. Consider it done." The elder woman bowed to her before stepping out of the reception area herself with the key to their room. "Please let me guide you to where you're going to be staying in."

\--

"Saku-chan." Chaeyeon gently poked Sakura's cheeks before sliding herself inside the blanket towards the sleeping girl, trying to wake her up from her slumber by hugging her from behind.

At the warm touch of her body, the older girl shifted position and faced her while groggily rubbing her eyes before humming. "Chaeyeon?"

"Hey there." Chaeyeon smiled at the sleepy Sakura. "Do you still want to go to the Skytree today?"

"Nn." She lazily nodded.

"Then we have to get going soon. Get up, sleepyhead." Chaeyeon patted her head and started getting up from the bed. Seeing this, Sakura raised her arms at her while puffing her cheeks, asking for the younger's attention and care.

"Carry."

The younger girl giggled. "You're such a baby. I guess I'll have two babies soon."

Chaeyeon approached the older girl to let her wrap her arms around her neck before she promptly put her left arm behind Sakura's back while she scooped her knees using her right.

"Heave ho!" In contrast to her loud shout as if she's carrying a sack of sweet potatoes, she was actually taking feather-like steps before Sakura started hitting her again, making Chaeyeon slowly bring the girl down to the sofa.

"Hey! Am I that heavy?!" Sakura pouted but the other girl only chuckled.

Chaeyeon was still slouching since Sakura still has one of her arms hooked around her neck so the pregnant girl took it as an opportunity to pinch her cheeks before giggling and then pulling Chaeyeon into a hug. The younger girl's heart almost jumped out of her rib cage.

She felt the cold sweat run on her back when she was pulled by Sakura out of nowhere, actually making Chaeyeon almost lose balance and squish their baby but thankfully, she was quickly able to stop herself from falling completely on top of the girl by letting her arms support all her weight in time.

_Thank God for my fast reflex!_

She just let the older girl hug her making the two of them be engulfed in silence... a silence so comfortable as if they were just savoring their sweet moment together. They didn't know how many seconds or minutes have passed. For them, everything was moving slowly and they couldn't care less about their surroundings. Each other's warmth... that's all that matters right now. 

Chaeyeon cut the quietness after a short while. "...Saku-chan, we have to leave soon." 

"What time is it?" Sakura broke the hug and locked gazes with the younger girl.

"It's almost six in the evening already. I've got us a reservation at the restaurant there too. We'll be able to eat dinner while watching the night view of this beautiful city. Sounds good, right?"

Sakura hummed in delight. "That sounds romantic."

Chaeyeon chuckled. "It is?"

"Anything you do for me is actually romantic."

"Is that so?" A grin formed on Chaeyeon's lips.

"Of course. Right, Mrs. Lee?" She smirked playfully.

The younger girl couldn't help but choke on air because of Sakura's words. It was too late to realize that she just did something which would make Sakura tease her endlessly for a while.

  
  



	6. Sakura's Secret and Tokyo Skytree

"Hey, Mrs. Lee, are you done yet?" Sakura crossed her arms while grinning but the moment she saw Chaeyeon who just got out of the bathroom, she couldn't help but freeze.

"I'm almost done. Just a min— Wait, what's wrong?" Chaeyeon got alarmed when Sakura was suddenly sent into a coughing fit. She ran towards the girl to pat her back, trying to soothe her.

Well yeah, although the person in front of Sakura was wearing a simple black skinny jeans, her top, a white dress shirt, was only buttoned up to her stomach, slightly revealing the milky white skin of her chest and her black lace brassiere. She was also just _coincidentally_ running her hands through her silvery locks before facing the astonished Sakura... probably, the older girl was imagining things but... maybe it was because she's pregnant... yeah... probably... everything was moving slowly that time.

"Are you okay?" 

_No, I'm not!_

Sakura wanted to scream so bad especially when Chaeyeon slouched down to let their eyes meet... which ended up with the older girl's eyes almost bulging out of their sockets.

"C-can you please finish buttoning up your shirt first?" Sakura could feel her face burning. She's aware that she's as red as anything red out there but she can't help it. _That_ was the most dangerous thing to ever exist.

"...oh." Chaeyeon blushed. "My bad."

_Goddarned pregnancy hormones._

The older girl could only curse in her mind and recite a mantra to calm herself down.

"Wait a bit, I'll go make a call to Minjoo." Sakura firmly said before marching towards their bedroom.

She dialed her gynecologist's number in a hurry while biting her thumb from restlessness.

_[Hello, Sakura-unnie?]_ Minjoo's gentle voice welcomed her.

"M-Minjoo..."

The girl on the other line hummed in question.

"CanyoupleasetellChaeyeontostopbeingtoostimulatingbecauseI'mhavingahardtimehere.Iknowyousaidthatthisisnormalespeciallyduringmysecondtrimesterbutpleasehavemercyandwarnyourfiancee'scousin." The older girl is pretty sure that it was the fastest she's ever spoken in her entire life, not even breathing just to finish her words at once.

_[W-wait, unnie. Please calm down. I didn't understand what you said.]_

Sakura whimpered in frustration. "I said please tell Chaeyeon to be more careful... I'm really having a hard time right now..."

_[Huh? Why? What happened?]_

"I could see her..."

_[...her???]_

Sakura took a pillow from their bed to buried her face on just to squeal her hearts out. When she finished, she cleared her throat and continued. "I saw her chest and even h-her a... abs earlier..."

The pregnant woman bit her lower lip in frustration.

The other line was enveloped in silence before a burst of loud laughter echoed in Sakura's ears. _[You got aroused by her again? I don't think there's anything new about that.]_

"B-but..."

_[You're still keeping it a secret from Chaeyeon-unnie?] _Minjoo giggled.

"I can't just tell her about that, can I..."

_[...ah... well, it must have been awkward and embarrassing.]_

"..."

_[...]_

"...very."

_[Then you should really tell her soon... before you lose your sanity.] _The younger girl couldn't stop herself from chuckling when suddenly, she heard Sakura sniffing. _[W-wait! U-unnie... please don't cry!]_

"...I just can't help it anymore." Sakura sniffed a couple of times then continued her words again. "How can I even begin to tell Chaeyeon that she's starting to stimulate my sexual drive lately? Just when s-she's finally beginning to open up to me..."

_I never even knew I swing both ways before I met her._

"...Saku-chan?"

"..."

_[...]_

"Minjoo... am I hearing things..." The older girl whispered to the phone.

_[No, unnie. I'm pretty sure I heard her voice too...]_

"..."

_[...]_

"..."

"Please bury me."

"Wait, what are you talking abou— Saku-chan??!"

Sakura started shouting incoherent words before throwing pillows at Chaeyeon. "You overheard what I said, right?! RIGHT?!"

"I'm so sorry! He— ouch! Saku-chan, calm down!" The younger girl tried to block the pillows thrown at her while inching closer towards the older girl. Just when she was almost in front of her, she felt a strong hit on her face from her right followed by another... then another... then another...

_I've never been this beat up in my whole life..._

Chaeyeon could literally feel her soul fly here and there from the blows she received from Sakura's strikes yet she didn't stop moving towards her and was finally able to hold the wrists of the aggressive girl.

"Let go of me!" Sakura started crying but the younger girl only engulfed her in a hug.

A few minutes of struggling, the older girl finally calmed down which made Chaeyeon let go of her. She cupped Sakura's face gently to let their eyes meet, her thumbs carefully wiping the tears on her cheeks. She felt a pang in her heart when the girl refused to look at her.

"There's nothing bad about that, right?"

Sakura's orbs finally met hers. "Y-you don't hate me for that?"

"I don't." Chaeyeon smiled at her then kissed her forehead. "I'm sorry. I should've been more careful. It just slipped out of mind but Yuri and Yena actually warned me about it too. I'm really sorry."

"I'm sorry too... I'm sorry for thinking about... dangerous things with you." The older girl sighed then bit her lip again, her eyes filled with tears again.

She knows it's wrong but there are simply times when Chaeyeon... turned her on. It was so embarrassing to admit to the younger girl especially since she doesn't want her to feel uncomfortable about it. She constantly wanted to just dig a hole somewhere and hide there for the rest of her life every time her eyes get glued on Chaeyeon especially when she just came out from the bathroom after showering, or even when she's changing clothes thinking that Sakura is sleeping. She has been crying internally for being such a sinner for ages (almost a month).

"Pregnant women can't control their drive at times due to their hormonal changes. It's fine." The younger girl laughed while stroking the girl's head.

"B-but I really feel so bad... we're not even in a relationship so... I think this is just wrong." Sakura was wiping away the tears from her cheeks but her tears just won't stop coming out.

Chaeyeon suddenly thought about her last conversation with Chaewon before she left with Minjoo when they all had a gathering.

_"Unnie."_

_She hummed._

_"I hope you accept your feelings. Jaehyun-oppa would get angry if his Noona tortured herself because of him."_

_"Chaewon..."_

_"Unnie, if that's not enough to convince you, you should think about what Oppa would feel if he finds out that you're being like this again. Put yourself in his shoes and reverse your roles. Would you like it if he refuses the happiness in front of his eyes because of you? Would you be happy seeing him isolate himself as a punishment he imposed on himself when he never did anything wrong?"_

_"...I would hate that."_

_"Chaeyeon-unnie, you are doing just that."_

_"But..."_

_"Jaehyun-oppa... you probably know how he has been living ever since the elders banished him for not being able to meet their expectations. I could guess that despite what he went through, he lived his life happily because you were there for him to always support him no matter what. Although you were banned from even seeing nor talking to him by those darned witches, you guys were still meeting secretly... You've done everything for him. It's your turn to think about yourself now. You see, everyone wants you to be happy."_

_Chaeyeon still kept mum. She was conflicted._

_"You did your very best and made your younger brother a happy life. Now it's time for you to be happy as well. Unnie, we... we realized about your feelings for Sakura-unnie the moment we saw how much you smile when you're with her."_ _Chaewon looked at her directly in the eyes. "Please be honest with your feelings now. If you don't want to do it for yourself, then do it for Sakura-unnie and your baby."_

_The two of them don't know how long has it been since they both went silent. A minute? Five minutes? Maybe fifteen? It doesn't matter for them._

_The older girl took a deep breath. "...maybe you're right."_

"Chaeyeon?"

Sakura's faint voice snapped her back from her trance. "Are you mad?"

"I'm not." She smiled at the girl who was sniffling and used her palms to wipe away the trails of tears from her face. "I'll never be mad at that."

"R-really?" Sakura looked up to her, eyebrows furrowed from uncertainty.

"Yeah..."

Without saying anything, the older girl wrapped her arms around Chaeyeon's neck and hugged her firmly and whispered, "Thank you, Chaeyeon."

"Saku-chan, I have a question..."

The older girl let go of her then stared at her while tilting her head, eagerly waiting for what she wants to ask.

"Do you really like me?" Chaeyeon weakly asked while looking downwards.

Sakura frowned at her question. She doesn't know why the younger girl was asking her something really obvious but a smile just appeared on her face when she answered her. "I don't like you."

"O-oh..." Chaeyeon never thought she'll feel her heart break at her answer but before she completely got drowned in dejection, the older girl continued her words, a mischievous grin painted on her lips.

"Since I think I love you."

"..."

It took a couple of seconds for the younger girl's brain to register what she heard but when it finally did, she snapped her head up to look at Sakura when a blinding smile adorned her as she engulfed Sakura in a tight hug. This time, it was Chaeyeon nuzzling her face on the crook of Sakura's neck.

\--

"Chaeyeon, look! The city is so pretty! We're so high up!"

Sakura grabbed Chaeyeon right arm and dragged her towards the observation deck. Her eyes were wide open, sparkling as if the stars themselves were reflected on them.

"Calm down there, kitty cat." Chaeyeon chortled then wrapped her arms around Sakura's waist, gently caressing her big tummy as her chin rests on the older girl's shoulder. The latter put her hand over Chaeyeon's and pulled her closer to her body.

Sakura giggled. "You've been acting weird lately."

"You hate it?" Chaeyeon pouted.

"It's the other way round." She pinched the younger girl's nose cheekily before leaning her head towards Chaeyeon, their warm cheeks touching.

"Say, where do you wanna go tomorrow? Harajuku? Or would you like to go to Shibuya and shop for your maternity clothes? You've only been wearing your one-piece dresses."

"Hmm... can we go flower viewing before shopping?"

"Shall we walk around Shinjuku Gyoen for a bit before going to Shibuya?"

Sakura gave the younger girl a peck on the cheek and muttered a shy thank you but Chaeyeon did something she never expected which made the older girl's heart almost jump out of her ribcage. Chaeyeon actually returned another kiss on her cheek before she playfully grinned...

"Anything for you, Saku-chan. Now let's go to the restaurant. It's almost quarter before eight." 

She held Sakura's hand and guided her towards a fancy restaurant where a table beside the glass panels was specially reserved for them. They could enjoy looking over the beauty of the city at night from their seats as they chat during their dinner.

Chaeyeon slowly led Sakura to sit then kissed the back of her hand before going to her own chair with a wide grin. The older girl has been silently watching this new side of her that she has never witnessed before. She could feel her cheeks, burning from everything Chaeyeon did while her heart was just being erratic while doing backflips inside its cage. She'd probably be at risk with diabetes due to how sweet the younger girl has been acting lately... especially today.

Shortly after sitting, their food arrived without them ordering. 

"Don't worry, I already specified the food we'll be ordering even before coming here. They've adjusted their dishes for you and our baby. We're getting your favorites."

Sakura silently nodded, watching Chaeyeon who was just smiling to herself while preparing Sakura's food (more like slicing the fully cooked steak into smaller cuts).

_Cute..._

The older girl badly wants to squish the pinkish cheeks of the person in front of her but she did her best to refrain herself from doing so. She never knew Chaeyeon could be _this_ adorable and she just wants to shout how thankful she is to the Shinto gods for letting her experience something like this for the first time in her life. It was shocking to see the Chaeyeon who is always pretty, sexy, cool, and alluring turn into a childish and mischievous girl who's also the sweetest person on earth.

"Saku-chan, open your mouth." 

The older girl flinched then blinked a couple of times... out of nowhere, a slice of meat stabbed by a fork was in front of her.

"A-ah.." She opened her mouth and almost felt like she was sent to heaven when she tasted what was fed to her.

"Tasty!!"

Chaeyeon pouted. "Like it that much? More than my cooking?"

Sakura immediately shook her head in denial. "Never! You're cooking is the best food I've ever had in my life!"

A bright smile appeared on the younger girl's face. "I don't mind cooking for you forever... even when we grow old."

"Grow old?" Sakura's eyebrows raised from confusion.

"But for now... Saku-chan..."

Sakura gulped while her eyes stayed stuck on the girl in front of her.

"I... I think I love you too, Saku-chan. Will you be my girlfriend?"

There's no cliche romantic thing you'll read in stories like kneeling in front of her while presenting Sakura with a bouquet of red roses. Chaeyeon was simply locking gazes with her, orbs filled with sincerity and affection, her warm hand over Sakura's, and a smile on her face as her unexpected question came out from her mouth. It was simple, just an honest confession.

The older girl doesn't know... maybe her tear ducts are broken. Tears were streaming down her face again although she just cried a lot an hour ago or so. She didn't care if her eyes are going to get puffy but she was sure... she was crying not because of sadness or sorry. The stream of tears coming down from her eyes was from the inexplicable joy. Sakura couldn't describe how happy she is at the moment. The person who pulled her from grief... the person who was always there for her since they met... the person who always sees her as her priority over others... the person whom she only felt this loved by... the person she... the person she probably loves the most right now...

Lee Chaeyeon confessed to her and asked her to be her girlfriend.

"Yes!" Sakura answered a bit louder than she should, catching the attention of the people dining with them.

They couldn't care less, however. The new couple was just lost in their own world, not giving a damn even when someone took pictures of them, holding hands and sweetly smiling at each other. What matters the most is how much they're planning to shower each other love and affection and spend their future together with their soon to be born baby... how wonderful would it be if they'll be a happy family.


	7. Sakura and Hyewon

"Nako-chan?" A peach-haired girl with round pinkish cheeks let her head poke out from the door. "You okay there?"

To her voice, the petite girl who has been pacing back and forth in her office halted her steps. "Hiichan! Wait, what are you doing here?"

"I just wanted to visit you before I head to the bakery. I bought you your favorite monstrosity— I mean your favorite ice cream and some bread. It's the new recipe I came up with." Hitomi smiled at her girlfriend.

"My pastry chef sure is such a sweetheart." A teary-eyed Nako immediately scrambled on her feet towards her then hugged her tightly.

"N-Nako-chan, th-that's t-too much f-force." The fluffy-cheeked girl tapped Nako's shoulder furiously, her face now red from not being able to breathe.

"Oops, sorry. I was just overwhelmed since I've been thinking about how my impending death is getting even nearer."

Hitomi frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Well... you see..." The shorter girl scratched her cheek.

"Hmm?"

"I just clowned Chaeyeon the other day and made a reservation for the hotel they'll be staying in..."

"I don't see the clownery there."

"...under the name of Mrs. Lee Chaeyeon and Mrs. Lee Sakura."

"Pardon?"

"I told Miss Saito that Chaeyeon was secretly married to a Japanese girl." Nako bit her lip.

"What... did you really..."

"Yeah. I think I overdid it?"

"...the words will travel fast."

"..."

"..."

"It doesn't end with that..."

Hitomi looked at her lover with a blank expression. "Uh-huh."

"I had to cut their vacation short because of an emergency I wasn't able to stop."

"..."

"..."

"Don't worry. I'll stay here to see your final moments, babe." Hitomi gave the shorter girl a gentle pat on the head while smiling sweetly at her.

Nako slapped her hand away from her head and puffed her cheeks. "Hey! Shouldn't you be helping me?!"

"But it's your fault."

"That—"

The phone on Nako's desk rang loudly, cutting her off. She screamed internally as she saw the name of the caller and was about to faint when Hitomi grabbed it from her to answer the phone herself.

"Chaeyeon-unnie?"

_[Oh, Hiichan. Where's Nako?]_

"Ah. She's just hiding behind me while trying to listen to the call. What's wrong?"

At Hitomi's casual voice, Nako shot her a look of disbelief as if she has been betrayed by the only person she could trust with her life.

_I hate you!_

The shorter girl mouthed to her before glaring.

_[Tell her we're on our way to the office right now. _ _Saku-chan just wouldn't let go of me so I decided to let her come with me. She'll stay in my private room to rest while accompanied by Nako.]_

"I see. The said person is currently in a state of shock and fear." She told a half-lie. More than the shock and fear of Chaeyeon's possible punishment, Nako was angry at Hitomi at the moment... and so is she. "I'll calm her down in a bit, unnie."

The taller giggled while looking at her girlfriend's lips, a rare smirk slyly painted on her cute face. Upon seeing this, Nako felt chills run down her spine.

_Uh-oh._

_[I see. Thank you, Hiichan. Ah, before I forget, please inform her to wait for me in my office with Sakura after the emergency meeting since I'll be heading to the board as soon as I drop Sakura to my office.]_

"Consider it done, unnie. Please take care on your way here."

_[Thanks. See you in a bit.]_

"See you."

As soon as Chaeyeon ended the call, Hitomi turned to Nako with a sweet smile.

"You just said you hate me, right?"

"I-I did... what of it?" The stuttering Nako puffed her chest with confidence. She knew the usual silent Hitomi doesn't like it when Nako says she hates her but she did everything to muster the courage to confront her... although that brittle wall she created called bravery was instantly taken down by Hitomi's next words like a hot knife through butter.

"Knowing Chaeyeon-unnie's chauffer, it'll take almost an hour to get here especially since Kkura-unnie is with them... so let's see how long you can handle not screaming my name and your love for me in a minute. Shall we, Miss Yabuki Nako?"

"D-don't you think it's i-improper to..."

"What's improper?" Hitomi was smiling innocently. "I already locked the door. Chaeyeon-unnie made your office soundproof as far as I can remember."

_Gods... help me..._

Nako screamed internally before Hitomi inched closer to kiss her aggressively.

\--

"Seems like Hiichan did a great job calming you down. Look at you look so... out of life." Sakura snickered at the sight of the short girl who is already close to being a zombie, some love marks visible below her jawline and on her neck. Her skin, however, was looking radiant in contrast to her facial expression which made Sakura even more amused.

"Wow, thanks for the compliment." The girl collapsed on the sofa, dying.

Nako's lover, Hitomi (who was close to literally glowing), just left a minute after they arrived citing that she has to go to work but it took an hour to _calm_ Nako so she can't stay any longer or else she's going to be tardier than she already is. Chaeyeon, on the other hand, instantly disappeared after sending her to her office so she's currently lying down on the bed inside the younger girl's private room. It honestly felt homey despite Chaeyeon not using it for two months. She's been sleeping with Sakura ever since they met and has been working at home so it was surprising to see the room look as if someone's living there everyday.

"Nako-chan, I think you should sleep."

"I can't. I'll get killed by my boss." Nako shivered at the thought of a smiling Chaeyeon holding a knife.

"I actually already asked Kang-chan to come here since I know you'll be exhausted once we arrive."

"H-how?"

"Chaeyeon and I were sharing AirPods that time so... we knew based on Hitomi's tone." The older girl grinned making the younger bury her face in her hands.

"I'm sorry." Nako scratched her nape, awkwardly smiling at Sakura. "I-is it really fine if I sleep for a bit?"

"It's fine. You're clearly exhausted. She'll be here in a minute so come here and sleep." Tapping the place beside her, Sakura smiled at Nako.

The small girl nodded and laid down at the opposite side of the bed in shyness.

"Go to sleep. Kang-chan— oh, speak of the devil and the devil will show itself indeed." As soon as Sakura mentioned her name, a raven-haired girl opened the door without a trace of qualms, her face remaining emotionless while her mouth was stuffed with a lollipop.

Hyewon stared at the two girls then raised her hand to wave at as coolly. "...hi?"

"Hey there, Kang-chan. You still don't knock." Sakura giggled at her friend.

"Out of habit. Is that midget going to sleep?"

"Don't go calling me midget..." Nako sleepily muttered. Normally, she'd be flipping tables whenever she hears the word 'midget' but this time she doesn't have enough energy to spout venomous words at the Hyewon. She was just physically drained and she wants to sleep.

"..."

"..."

"Look at her sleep like a log a second after closing her eyes." Hyewon couldn't help but chuckle at the sight of a sleeping Nako.

"She's like a baby."

"Yeah, both her size and her personality." 

"Hey, stop attacking her height." Sakura slapped Hyewon's shoulder when she got close to her to lie down the bed as well.

Raising her eyebrows, Hyewon shrugged and shook her head. "What? I was just reminded of my _Miona_'s oldersister." 

At her words, Sakura's mood immediately dropped. "Don't you even dare try to bring them up, Kang Hyewon."

The raven-haired girl sighed. "Sakura, you know they have nothing to do with _those _people."

"Same blood runs in their veins. That's all that matters." Sakura looked at Hyewon with empty and emotionless eyes. This was not the same Sakura others knew. It was just like _that_ time. Hyewon had thought the older girl would be able to let go if she came to Korea with her but it seems like she only locked the emotions behind her head instead.

"Sakura, you can trust them."

"Don't make me repeat myself."

"Look, they're even willing to help you just to prove that they don't pose any harm." The younger girl calmly told Sakura who was starting to lose control of her anger, her jaw stiff from gritting her teeth.

Sakura had to admit that back then before she came to Korea, she was just sad and lonely. She was never acknowledged by her family members, even her existence was rejected the moment her brother was born. She bore with everything and did her best... until she couldn't anymore and left. Now, all she feels is resentment towards them. They never cared anyways, they never looked for her.

"Are you _still_ acting as _their _dog?"

"S-Sakura, you know I owe my life to you!"

"Yet you are still in contact with them, am I right?"

Hyewon's usual emotionless face warped in deep sadness. She couldn't believe that Sakura would doubt her, of all people. She felt her heart sink. She had sacrificed everything else just to prove her worth... although, in the end, the older girl left her to rot.

"Sakura... You know _we _gave up on our relationship so we can prove our loyalty to you... I don't give a shit about _those_ people because they don't _own_ me anymore. You... _you already own me and you know that._" Hyewon shakily whispered her last words, remembering her childhood and the reason why she was finally free.

"..."

"Sakura, please..."

"I won't repeat my words."

"I... I did my best never looked for you for half a year just as you told me... I followed whatever you ordered me to do." The older girl didn't respond and only stared at her, face devoid of emotions but Hywon looked at Sakura's fiery orbs, pleading. "It doesn't matter what I have to do so please, just trust me. I'm willing to lose anything but... never your trust towards me, Sakura-_ojou_."

Sakura's eyes opened wide when Hyewon mentioned the word she never thought she'll be referred with again after years of not hearing it. It triggers memories, those bitter and distasteful days she oh so loathes so much. She suddenly felt guilty towards the younger girl.

She took a deep breath and pulled her hair in frustration, looking down.

She knew she was wrong this time. Their conversation only reminded her of their resented past and worthless families. She hates them, despises them to the core. She tried to forget and she was able to do so... but they just had to come back and haunt her once again by the mere mention of Hyewon's former lover, her _distant_ _cousin._

"...sorry, Kang-chan."

_Right, she was the one who remained loyal to me during those times when I suffered and went against them. _

She sighed.

"I trust you. I'm sorry. I just remembered them again." She gave Hyewon a small smile.

"Thank you, Sakura-_ojou..._" Some tears trickled down the younger girl's cheeks as she smiled back at her.

"Come on now. Stop the formality. It's disgusting." Sakura giggled, wiping Hyewon's tears away. "But Kang-chan, I'll try to see if _they_ really are trustworthy just like you in the future."

"Thank you so much. This means a lot for us, Sakura. You are important to us. Your trust is all that matters."

The older girl only gave her a smile before nodding but she ended up chuckling at Hyewon. "Kang-chan, your snot. It doesn't fit your emotionless face."

"Ah..." Hyewon stood up and took some tissues from the nightstand to blow her nose while Sakura looked at her in amusement.

"H-Hiichan, no..." Nako suddenly muttered.

The two of them instinctively looked at each other then laughed at the youngest who was already dreaming about her lover.

"They're wildin' in her dream."

"Hitomi must've been really wild earlier for her to still have that dream." 

"Wait, what earlier?"

"Well... they went wild in her office?"

"Wha... Hitomi and Nako?"

Sakura bobbed her head. "Uh-huh."

"Woah there, these cuties sure are so brave. Can't judge the book by its cover... seriously."

"Yep. They're even braver than you." Sakura smirked. 

"What do you mean?" The younger girl slightly cocked a brow.

This made Sakura more amused. Hyewon has always been able to attract people easily. She's capable of charming anyone whether intentionally or unintentionally, be they of the same sex or not. She was that alluring... but there was someone she can't seem to get.

"Nothing." The older girl hummed and tilted her head. "I wonder if I can call Eunbi-unnie to come here..."

At the mention of the name, Sakura saw Hyewon pause for an instant. 

_Bingo._

Despite not showing any emotion, she could read the younger girl easily. Sakura has to admit that she enjoys seeing her baffled and not her calm self. It's good for entertainment, really.

"You've really changed a lot in half a year." Hyewon smiled in irony. She couldn't believe the girl now knows how to tease her. She was never like that in the past.

"Did I?" Sakura chortled.

"Yeah."

"Say, Kang-chan."

"Hmm?"

"Did you regret leaving _her?_" Sakura looked directly at her eyes as if peering through her soul.

Hyewon simply shook her head and smiled. "She's happily spending her time with someone now. The lucky person grew up in Germany and is a famous stage actress and singer. I even heard she's famous in the world of classical music as a genius pianist. That's what she last told me."

"I see. I'm sorry that you had to go through the pain of breaking up because of me." The older girl grabbed her hand and squeezed it.

"It's fine. It was our decision. Maybe we are simply not meant to be." Hyewon gave back a squeeze while sincerely smiling at her.

Sakura sighed. "Well, you should really do your best to get Eunbi-unnie."

"What?"

"Hyewon, it shows." Patting the younger girl's shoulder, she flashed her a knowing grin.

The other girl couldn't help but feel her cheeks flush in embarrassment. She couldn't even lie in front of the older girl so she kept mum.

It was only an assumption according to what Sakura has observed so far when they all met up. Hyewon's eyes were secretly glued to their oldest friend as if magnetized the whole time. She also heard once from Chaeyeon that Chaewon told her that their Eunbi-unnie has been ditching work at least once a week so she tried to investigate it, only to find out that she has been meeting with Hyewon.

"Oh dear. Guess you'll finally be in a relationship again after almost six years of being single."

"...I feel like stress eating." 

"Hey!"

"Ah, want to watch a movie? Chaeyeon will probably be away for a few more hours."

"Don't change the subject now, you coward."

"Hah. As if you're not one." Hyewon smirked in victory.

"Why am I a coward?" Sakura frowned. The younger girl was pretty certain that the older girl would surely pout and puff her cheeks right now if she was in front of Chaeyeon.

_She definitely acts cutely with her._

Hyewon could only shiver in her mind before clearing her throat to go back to their topic. "You can't confess to Chaeyeon."

"..."

"If it isn't cowardly, then what is?"

Sakura burst out laughing at her. "What? That? I'm already her girlfriend though. Who's the coward now?"

"..."

"..."

"..."

"...Hyewon?" The older girl 

"...what?"

"Chaeyeon and I started dating."

"I— wow... I can't relate."

"That's why I'm telling you to go get your girl!" Sakura cackled and hit the pouting Hyewon's shoulder playfully. 


	8. Assertive Bachelorette

"Chaeyeon-unnie, you totally look like you're about to worship the monitor." Minjoo giggled at the girl in front of her.

Chaeyeon has been staring at the screen, completely mesmerized with her mouth agape, eyes twinkling in pure fascination as her right hand intertwined with her lover's. A second later, her mouth finally closed shut but is replaced by a goofy smile with the doctor's words.

"Chaeyeon-unnie, Sakura-unnie, it seems like you'll have a baby girl." Minjoo smiled at them excitedly then proceeded to let the probe in her hand slide around Sakura's now big baby bump, showing more about how their child has been doing so far and how she looks like.

As the young doctor's explanation lengthened and became more specific, the new couple started getting more and more proud. Their unborn daughter, as expected, is completely healthy after they followed everything Minjoo had advised. Chaeyeon couldn't help but kiss Sakura's forehead in bliss. The older girl has finally entered her final trimester and is nearing her due date. Although they could know the baby's gender ever since her fourteenth week, they decided to find out later for no apparent reason.

"Should we throw a party?"

"What do you mean party?" Sakura flicked the younger girl's forehead while laughing.

"Ow! Hey! Baby, look! Your mom is bullying me." Chaeyeon pouted and talked to their daughter while rubbing the pain off her forehead. This interaction between them has been more frequent after the older girl's mood swings finally became rare.

"I'm fine without a baby shower. Everyone is busy."

"Pretty sure they're willing to free their schedule for our future daughter."

"It's okay. I don't want to disturb them. I'll be giving birth in less than two months. Let's just wait a bit." The older girl smiled at her in defeat.

Chaeyeon grinned while humming then kissed Sakura's hand. "Sorry, I'm just so excited to see her."

"I know. You're not the only one who's excited. I really wanna see her soon but she has to wait for a few more weeks to be healthier." 

"Yeah. That's the most important part. Both of you have to be healthy." The younger girl chortled and leaned their foreheads together.

"We'll be okay. We have a good doctor, right, Minjoo?"

"Of course, unnie! I've been doing my best to make sure Sakura-unnie and your baby are healthy! She's also going to be my niece, you know!" The doctor, who just finished wiping off the ultrasound gel on Sakura's tummy, gave them a thumbs up.

"Ah, right. Unnie, how's your blood sugar level?" Minjoo looked at her while smiling brightly.

"It's been good lately. Not too high, not too low. I've also been drinking the teas you recommended to me."

"Glad you're doing a great job managing that. Well, if not, you won't be delivering your baby normally. We'll have to c-sec you if she grows too big." Minjoo smiled sheepishly at them.

Both Chaeyeon and Sakura rejected the idea of caesarian delivery so Minjoo had warned them beforehand to be prepared for the normal delivery. The pregnant woman has stopped eating too much sweets the moment she found out that the doctor might end up cutting her stomach open if her baby's size gets bigger than expected. She also had Chaeyeon monitor her food intake to which her lover gladly did.

"I'll do my best to maintain it. I'm really not a fan of cutting my stomach open." Sakura pouted and sulked but immediately beamed when she remembered her brilliant idea. "Oh, you know, guys. I'm kinda planning to give birth on the same day as Yujin's birthday."

"What?" Chaeyeon frowned.

"So we can celebrate their birthdays together Yena and Yuri too! A double party!"

"Oh... that sounds nice."

"Right?!"

"But hey, don't push yourself too much, okay?"

"Ah! She just kicked!" The three of them shrieked in happiness. They were pretty sure their cheeks are already close to getting ripped from too much smiling. It's not like it was the first time the baby kicked inside Sakura's womb. Rather, she always kicks around energetically but their baby was behaving the entire time during the check-up... well except when she heard what her Mommy Chaeyeon had said.

"Look, even our baby girl agrees."

"Yes, ma'am." Sakura jokingly puffed her cheeks but she couldn't stop a giggle from coming out of her throat. "It's going to be fun to have two babies with the same birthday though, especially when the other is your best friends' baby, right?"

"Well, you're not wrong." Chaeyeon chuckled.

"Then it's decided!"

Minjoo looked at the hyper couple with an apologetic smile. "Uhm, Chaeyeon-unnie, Sakura-unnie. We can't really be sure since it will depend on Sakura-unnie's effacement and dilation. In the upcoming weeks, we don't know when will your baby want to come out so I recommend you to get admitted to the hospital before the last day of August. Counting the days since you became pregnant, I think if you still don't give birth on the first day of September of the morning, we will be assisting you so you can deliver the baby successfully. If she stays any longer, she'll grow bigger and we'll have no choice but to resort to c-sec. It's the best and my recommended option."

The soon-to-be parents nodded while smiling proudly.

\--

"Hey." Chaeyeon tapped Sakura's shoulder then made her way to sit beside her on her office couch. 

Seeing her lover's face after hours of waiting for her to finish an errand, Sakura smiled at her sweetly. 

"Oh, hey."

"Have you eaten yet? Sorry, it took me quite a while"

"It's fine. Nako has been checking on me every five minutes. I had some tea and sugar-free cookies."

Chaeyeon hummed then let their fingers interlock, bringing the back of the older girl's hand to her lips to kiss it. "Do you want to eat out tonight? Whatever you're craving right now, let's go for it."

"Can we eat some cake? Oh, and I really want to eat fruits."

"Hmm? No proper meal?" The younger girl frowned which made Sakura giggle.

"Okay, maybe some risotto for dinner?"

"Italian restaurant, it is then!" Chaeyeon beamed then crouched down while gently caressing Sakura's stomach.

"How about you, baby? Do you wanna walk by the Han River after dinner?"

"Ah, she kicked!" Sakura exclaimed before laughing in amusement.

"You really love Mommy Chaeyeon, huh?" Chaeyeon said while grinning like a fool but she then soon felt another kick from the baby bump as if answering back to her, making a super bright smile appear on her face. "I love you too baby!"

"Hey, why is there already favoritism even before you come out?" The older girl started sulking. "Don't you love Mommy Kkura too?"

"..."

"..."

"No kick?

"...but why..."

"...she's clowning you?"

"This is slander."

"Oh, hey she kicked!" Chaeyeon cackled. "You love Mommy Kkura, right?"

"This is downright favoritism." The older girl pouted when she felt her baby kick when Chaeyeon asked the question but not when she did.

"Don't worry, you're my favorite."

"Really?" 

"Yes, really."

"Kiss me then." Sakura cheekily grinned

"W-what?"

"You've never kissed me before." Although they've been dating for three months, Chaeyeon had never kissed her on the lips. Even when she tried to kiss her, the younger girl was quick to blush and would back out immediately. Others would probably start questioning their lovers when they do that but for Sakura, she just found it ultra adorable. She could feel Chaeyeon's overflowing affection towards her but is just extremely shy when it comes to _advanced_ skinship.

"That's..."

"If you don't kiss me, that means you don't love me..." The older girl gloomily bowed down her head, hiding the mischievous smile on her lips from her girlfriend. She was simply teasing the other girl but it won't hurt to try making Chaeyeon kiss her. It's a joke... but jokes are half meant anyways.

"B-but..." 

_I've never kissed anyone..._

Chaeyeon wanted to say before she started screaming in her mind. She's never been in a relationship, never been in love. Just holding Sakura's hand and acting sweetly towards her would actually require lots of courage for her. She doesn't show it but she's always panicking, not knowing what to do because she's clearly inexperienced. 

_I can't even tell her that I had to search online for tips._

She took a deep breath to calm her nerves. She shouldn't make Sakura question her love for her. She has to do it now or she will make her sad. She doesn't want that to happen. She always wants to make her happy, make her smile, make her feel loved and important.

_Okay, I should do this._

The younger girl faced Sakura with a determined face.

"S-Sa—"

"Sike."

"Huh?" A baffled Chaeyeon looked at Sakura in disbelief. "What do you mean?"

"I was just joking... just teasing you, babe." The older girl snickered, her eyes sparkling in mischief before she stuck out her tongue playfully.

"..."

"I know you won't be able to do it."

_I know you won't be able to do it? I won't be able to do it? She thought of that? Really?_

Chaeyeon felt her right eye twitch slightly. She was sort of irritated for some reason. Narrowing her eyes at the older girl, an idea popped in her head. She's easily irritated these past few days. Her _week_ is probably getting near but she couldn't care less. She felt triggered when Sakura assumed that she'll never be able to kiss her and she won't let her think that way again. Her pride won't allow her. She was about to kiss her but she's suddenly told it's a joke? Even though she's a bachelorette, that doesn't mean she's just a wimpy nerd who couldn't even initiate something like a kiss when needed.

_I'll make you swallow your words._

The younger girl let her right hand grasp Sakura's neck and pulled her to a kiss, a simple peck then glared at the older. 

_She just kissed me?_

Sakura couldn't help but gulp at the sight of the angry girl. She is... so different.

"Ch-Chae—nn!!"

Chaeyeon didn't let Sakura finish her sentence as she aggressively leaned in for another kiss, this time, it was not a simple touch of their lips.

Humans in the end are still animals, they instinctively knew how to do things they don't know how to then their bodies move before they knew it. And so, Chaeyeon let her instincts take over her. The younger girl let her lips move without delay. Letting their lips clash with each other when Sakura finally started responding to her movements, the younger girl asserting dominance before they both gasped for air to finally breathe.

"Ch-Chaeyeon, w-wai—!!" 

The younger girl shut her up once again, kissing the older and biting Sakura's lower lip to incite a moan from her which she was successfully able to do so. Slipping in her tongue, she let it dance inside the older girl's mouth then let both of their tongues grind in pleasure. She let her finger trace Sakura's nape before grabbing her short locks and pulling her even closer to her as her left hand glided over older's back, giving the older girl shivers.

"Unnie, I—" The lovers had their make-out session cut short as Nako entered the room without knocking and froze at the doorway.

"What is it?" Chaeyeon growled at her secretary.

Sakura was simply staring at the younger girl on top of her, completely starstruck. She didn't even spare a glance at the stupefied Nako. It was another side of Chaeyeon she never knew existed, another side she thinks she might really love so much... meanwhile, the petite girl was too shocked to process everything instantly.

She couldn't believe what she just saw.

First of all, _that _Chaeyeon is currently mad. She's never been angry before... more like, Nako has never seen her friend get angry despite being friends with her for almost a decade. This girl has always been smiling. Secondly, _that _Chaeyeon is also making out with someone. She can't even ignore the fact that _that _Chaeyeon is on top of her lover, domineering over someone who's older than her. The girl she knows _was_ a bachelorette, a timid and kind girl but she's...

Nako gulped.

"Nako, I'm asking you. What is it?" Her boss stared at her with eyes emotionless.

_Uh-oh. Sh-she's so scary._

"O-oh, uhh... Eunbi-unnie s-says she's on her way here to talk about something i-important." Nako's eyes wandered around the room without landing on the two who were still in a rather conspicuous position.

"Did she mention what it was about?"

"S-she said it's about the Japan branch or s-something."

Chaeyeon heaved a deep sigh, massaging her temples. "I see."

She then plopped her body down the couch beside Sakura, letting her head rest on the cushion and facing the cream-colored ceiling of her private room.

_It's not like me to lose my temper like this._

Shaking her head, Chaeyeon let out another sigh.

_"If he's a lion, I bet you're just as wild as him too."_

The young company president groaned out of frustration when she heard her cousin's voice in her head.

_Curse you, Kim Chaewon._

Turning her head towards the short girl near the door with a sheepish smile, she muttered in a rather sweet voice. "Thanks for informing me."

"I'm o-only doing my job."

Chaeyeon chuckled. "Whatever you say then. Oh, and Nako..."

Nako flinched when she heard her name mentioned. "W-what is it?"

"You.. uhh... you saw us in that improper situation and I kinda directed my anger towards you earlier. Sorry."

"...o-oh. It's no problem. This is your room, it's my fault that I just barged in."

"No, I lost my mind for a second there. It's totally my fault. Sorry too, Saku-chan. I was sorta out of control."

The older girl finally broke from her previous musings and blushed. She just spent the entire time admiring the younger girl that she didn't hear their entire conversation at all.

"E-excuse me?"

"I said I'm sorry for being aggressive earlier." Chaeyeon scratched her cheek.

"Oh. It's nothing. I guess I teased you too much."

"I'll make sure to not let it happen again."

"What?" Sakura frowned.

"Hmm?"

"Why?"

"What why?"

"I meant why not?"

"Why not what? What do you mean?"

"I loved it."

"Loved what?"

"You being bold and assertive." Sakura smirked.

"...what?"

"What what?"

"..." Nako was only looking at the two of them blankly, unwillingly listening to their conversation.

_These two are amazing in a lot of ways._

Her eyes fell on her boss who was too flushed from embarrassment.

"Guys, I've got some food!" Eunbi stepped inside the room while lifting a bag of fried chicken in her hands with a bright smile... which was instantly wiped out the moment she realized that three pairs of eyes looked at her. One was thankful, and the two were... frustrated?

She tilted her head. "What happened here?"

"Baby making." The short secretary deadpanned. 

"Excuse me? Sakura is pregnant tho?" The three girls in front of her groaned making Eunbi roll her eyes before giving the young CEO a serious look. "Anyways, Chaeyeon."

"What?"

"It's _code red._ We have to talk with the Kims as well."

Chaeyeon wordlessly nodded knowing the seriousness of the matter.

  
  



	9. Accident

It was the cold summer evening of the last day of August, the thirty-first of the month.

A day had gone by since Sakura was finally admitted to the hospital to prepare for her delivery. For the past month and a half, there were a couple of times where she almost delivered early which gave her and Chaeyeon quite the scare. Now, she was only less than a few hours away from giving birth. She could feel a mix of two emotions. Both nervousness and excitement were whirling into a pool in her mind and it's rather... uncomfortable. She was pretty sure, however, that the excitement is much greater than the nervousness she's feeling.

She had wondered if she was going to go through the same thing she's seen on the dramas or read on comics when a character is about to give birth yet it turns out that reality was more boring and bland. Still, it was reassuring. She doesn't need to wait for a normal labor contraction to happen and be sent to the hospital just in time to (dramatically) deliver the baby. As she had a personal doctor (Minjoo) who was constantly checking up on her, it was a rather peaceful pregnancy for her and she can only be thankful for that.

She had to admit. The first trimester was hellish considering that she was all alone with no one to depend on. Sakura was just grateful to the gods that she met someone like Chaeyeon... no... she was thankful that she met Chaeyeon herself, not just someone like her. The girl is a real-life angel, someone too selfless and extremely kind and divine and sacred and perfect and... she doesn't know what to add more because words are not enough to describe the girl she fell in love with. Simply put it, she deeply loves and adores the younger girl; she's whipped.

"Hey there, Sakura-unnie." Minjoo barged in the private labor room reserved for her important patient.

"You're here." Sakura chuckled.

"I knocked on the door but you didn't answer so I just entered. Sorry."

"No, it's okay. I was just daydreaming about something."

"Daydreaming about Chaeyeon-unnie, I presume?"

"W-wha—"

"Oh. No, unnie. I can't exactly read your mind."

Sakura frowned. "I haven't even finished talking yet."

"In these past months that I have spent knowing you, I think you've become easier to read. Your facial expressions and body language, that is. Pretty much like a book, unlike Chaewon and Chaeyeon-unnie." The young doctor snickered.

"Chaeyeon? You're telling me that I'm more transparent than Chaeyeon? She wears her emotions on her sleeve though." The older girl scoffed in disapproval from Minjoo's statement. 

The doctor giggled. "That's not the case for us, unnie. She's always smiling, yes, but why do you think she's the president of South Korea's biggest corporation whom other companies are scared of? Sakura-unnie, not to burst your bubble but they fear her kind demeanor and smile."

"...that doesn't make sense."

"..."

"..."

"Then try to think of this. Who do you think is the scariest when angry? The person who rarely shows emotions, the person who openly shows emotions or the person who hides her emotions with a smile? As simple as that."

"...okay, now that makes sense. But she really shows a lot of emotion when we all gather together. Does that mean Chaeyeon only shows her real emotions in front of me and her close friends?"

"No, unnie. Back then, she actually barely shows what she truly feels even to us except Chaewon. But, you were able to crack her smiling mask open instantly." Minjoo sighed. "I've known her for more than five years but she only shows me her kind smiles. She doesn't let us know her problems nor anything negative. To be completely honest, it scares me at times thinking that her smiling face is but a Noh mask."

"O-oh..."

"We really have to thank you, Sakura-unnie. She's starting to show more emotion in front of us."

"I see."

"Hey there!" The said devil showed herself while flashing the bags in her hands. "I got you some salad, Sa— Oh, hey there, Minjoo!" 

"...Minjoo, I think I now know where you're coming from." She whispered under her breath before grinning.

Sakura didn't let the slight change of Chaeyeon's emotions go unnoticed when she intruded inside the room then found out that the young doctor was with her. She had noticed how Chaeyeon toned down her excitement and changed into a calmer smile, though the glint in her eyes is completely unchanged.

"I told you so." Minjoo smiled.

"Hey, hey. What's with the secret conversation?"

"It's nothing." The eldest of the three chuckled.

"A girls' secret, unnie."

"But I'm a girl too..."

"Hush now." Sakura chuckled. "How was the preparation for Yujin's birthday?"

"Oh, when I dropped by Hyewon's, it seems like the venue is finally ready."

"Really? I'm really excited! They'll be celebrating two birthdays in one day!" Sakura's orbs shone brightly.

They had told their friends about their plan to let Sakura give birth to their baby on the same day as Yujin's birthday. Everyone excitedly agreed to it so they decided to hold a small party for the babies. Hyewon volunteered to let the party be held in her shop.

"I still can't believe that Hyewon-unnie's cafe became quite famous in the city. And to think that it was just planned out of the blue." Minjoo laughed.

Sakura smirked proudly. "Well... she's the Kang Hyewon I know of, indeed." 

Hyewon had decided to quit her boring part-time job at the convenience store to manage her own cafe on a whim right after her talk with Sakura. Although the others were shocked to know that the part-time-cashier-slash-model had the money to purchase a good location for her cafe in an instant, they just somehow accepted it considering that the cousins, Chaeyeon and Chaewon, including Eunbi, could do things that are far more absurd than that.

"I don't think I can buy a cafe in the middle of this busy city all of a sudden like her. I'm not that rich." The young doctor chuckled then glanced at Chaeyeon. "Frankly speaking, when I heard about it, it made me remember that time."

"That time?" Sakura's raised her eyebrows in curiosity.

"It was about two years ago? Wait, maybe three." Minjoo frowned while looking upwards, recalling everything about the event.

Chaeyeon opened her mouth with a long "Ah." then shook her head while smiling.

"We all went for two nights and three days of vacation in Japan. The first night ended up being so chaotic when we were accidentally served with alcoholic drinks. We tried to stop Chaeyeon-unnie from drinking it since we already found out that it was a drink mixed with alcohol but she never listened and drank too much. She was then jokingly dared by Yena-unnie to purchase the hotel they were staying in." Minjoo continued her words.

"Wait..." Sakura could feel where the story was going and she just found it unbelievable... it was quite a familiar story.

"Yep, despite being a joke she had ended up signing a contract just a few minutes after she heard the dare. We were looking for her when she suddenly disappeared like a bubble then she came back with the signed documents in hand. It gave Eunbi-unnie quite the headache." The doctor smiled sheepishly.

"Don't tell me she has low alcohol tolerance?"

"No, it's the other way round but I just drunk too much, okay?" Chaeyeon narrowed her eyes at Sakura's remark.

"Okay, okay." Sakura giggled at her, eventually followed by Minjoo who was covering her mouth with the back of her hand as she found her unnie funny.

"Well, Minjoo says she's not rich but once Minjoo marries Chaewon and becomes part of our clan, you can buy just about anything like us. She might just become like Chaewon too."

"Huh? But why?" The young doctor furrowed her eyebrows.

"Remember back then." It was Chaeyeon's turn to reveal something as she chortled.

"Back then?" Sakura queried. 

"Did you know, about five years ago or so, there was a time when Chaewon almost bought their university? Minjoo was about to fail a really important subject because of a bitchy professor who holds a personal grudge towards her." Chaeyeon snickered.

"She was obsessed with Chaewon and she found out about them so she took advantage of her position as Minjoo's professor. When my dear cousin aka Minjoo's lover at that time found out, she had badly wanted to deal with the professor herself and make sure to ruin her life in the university. She was about to sign the contract but thankfully, Minjoo appeared on time to stop her. She was practically soaked with sweat and rain when she found Chaewon with the university president. As Chaewon said, 'It was as if the great Aphrodite just got out of the bath and entered the room as she ran her fingers through her hair, droplets on her skin glistening like diamonds'"

"Stop it, unnie! Don't make me remember how embarrassing it was." Minjo buried her face in her hands while whining.

Chaeyeon faced Sakura, ignoring the young doctor to tease her. "You can only imagine how agonizing it was for Chaewon to hold herself back at the sight of Minjoo who was too sexy for her eyes. Try talking about that to her. Every time she recalls that she becomes a tomato and a smiling fool. It's interesting."

"...wow." Sakura laughed out loud but stopped herself from doing so immediately as she experienced a sudden contraction. "Oh crap. Please don't make me laugh more."

"That's not all you know." Ignoring Sakura's words thinking that the older girl was simply joking, Chaeyeon continued. "Eunbi-unnie..."

Sakura's ears perked up when she heard the name of the most serious and strict friend they have. "Around twelve years ago, a young Chaewon whined that she really wants to eat in a famous 5-star restaurant but there were no available seats anymore, as expected of its reputation. Since she really has a soft spot for her sister, you can guess what happened."

"She actually ended up buying it?!" Sakura gaped in surprise then giggled.

"I don't know about this!" Minjoo was smiling in amusement. "You guys sure love making money fly."

"It doesn't end there. That time, Chaewon was still cold towards Eunbi-unnie. After buying the place, unnie tried to invite Chaewon inside to eat but being the brat that she is, my dearest cousin said she'd rather eat at the ice cream parlor she found across the restaurant. When they finally bought ice cream, Eunbi-unnie was almost sent to the hospital when she choked on her mintcho. She didn't expect the traumatizing taste of that sweet monstrosity at all." Chaeyeon cackled.

"Hey, stop it!" Sakura laughed at Chaeyeon's laughter.

The younger girl stopped... though her effort seemed futile when she suddenly burst out laughing for no reason once again. "I-I can't."

Her weird laugh made Sakura and Minjoo cackle along as well but the laughter was replaced by a groan when a transparent liquid started soaking the older girl's bed.

"S-Saku-chan??"

\--

"I HATE YOU CHAEYEOOOON!!! AAAAAAAH!" Sakura's scream echoed inside the labor room.

_OW! OW! OW! IT HURTS!!!_

Chaeyeon's face was bright red from bearing the pain Sakura was inflicting her by holding (crushing) her right hand. The younger girl simply took a deep breath to calm herself down. She knew Sakura is currently experiencing pain a hundred times more intense and excruciating than what she's feeling so she should bear with it and at least _help _her.

It was only a quarter before the clock hits twelve midnight of September first when Sakura suddenly went into labor due to laughing too much. She knew she's mad at her since their plans got foiled by Chaeyeon's dorkiness.

"S-Saku-chan." She bit her lower lip to stop herself from yelping. "I-I'm sorry but for now, p-please breathe in and breathe out properly then—"

"SHUT UP! IT HURTS SO MUCH!! AAAAAH!"

"!!!!!!!!!" Chaeyeon felt one of the joints in her hand dislocate. She just gritted her teeth and wiped the sweat on Sakura's forehead with her left hand, gently caressing the girl's skin, trying to calm her down, at the same time comforting and cheering for her.

"S-Sa-Saku-chan, y-you can do it!!" Stuttering maybe, she smiled at her lover, despite being sure that the older girl can't even see her.

Minjoo heard the cracking sound of Chaeyeon's hand and smiled sheepishly at her, noting that the older girl should be treated after the delivery but first, she had to do something about a problem. "Unnie, sorry but we have to cut Sakura-unnie's opening a bit more to ease her delivery. Is it fine, Chaeyeon-unnie?"

The older girl's eyes almost bulged out in horror when she saw Minjoo lift up a scalpel from a tray but the young doctor's eyes only smiled at her. 

"Don't worry, unnie. She won't feel anything since she's already in pain. We just need to do it since the opening is smaller than expected. She and the baby will suffer more if we don't perform an episiotomy."

Chaeyeon gave her a small nod before closing her eyes and resting her forehead on the back of Sakura's hand, secretly hiding her wince. She simply couldn't help shivering at the thought of her girlfriend being cut by a scalpel, however, for the safety of her lover and their baby, they had no choice but to do it. She could see how difficult it was for Sakura to give birth. Her expression warped in pain while beads of sweat perspire all over her body, her eyes closed shut as tears stream down her cheeks, the veins on her neck visible from exerting an unbelievable force to give birth, and her skin reddish from the blood that rushed on her face from the pain she's feeling.

"Babe, you can do it. Our dear baby is coming out soon." She placed a kiss on the older girl's forehead, trying to put Sakura at ease.

"Ch-Chaeyeon, it hurts s-so much!" Sakura finally looked at her as if pleading.

"It's okay, I'm here. Just a give a push and everything is going to end soon. We'll get to see our baby soon."

"Sakura-unnie, just a little more and the baby is about to come out!"

It didn't take a few minutes for a baby's cry to resound inside the delivery room. An exhausted Sakura was catching her breath, her blood-drained face was too haggard yet still beautiful. She managed to smile when she saw a nurse carrying their baby towards her, laying the infant on her chest to calm her down. On the other hand, Chaeyeon stood frozen on her place, her eyes following the baby and her tears silently flowing down on her cheeks. She couldn't believe that she's finally a mother, the realization finally sunk in her mind. She knew she was going to be a parent soon but there was never this feeling of surrealism in her. It was unbelievable. She's going to be this baby's mother but...

She felt herself step back from the sudden fear and her shrinking confidence.

_Will I ever become a good parent?_

_What if I hurt her too?_

_Is she going to be okay if I raise her?_

_Am I going to be like my parents towards her?_

_I don't want to make her sad..._

_Is it actually fine?_

_Can I really become a good mother to her?_

"Chaeyeon-unnie, can you do the honors of cutting the umbilical cord?"

Minjoo's voice pulled her back to reality. The young doctor had finished suturing up Sakura's surgical cut and is urging Chaeyeon to sever their daughter's umbilical cord.

A nurse then handed Chaeyeon slim surgical scissors while smiling. "Please use this." 

"Th-thank you."

The younger girl's hands started sweating when an endless amount of doubts started flooding in her mind.

"Unnie? Are you okay?"

"O-oh. Y-yeah, just overwhelmed." She tried to laugh and it came out forced.

A long white cord clamped by two clips was revealed in front of her.

Minjoo tapped her arm to reassure her. "It's going to be okay, unnie. You have to cut it in the middle."

Chaeyeon froze on her place, hands shaking when she suddenly felt as if a hand on her back pushed her forward. _"Noona, you can do it!"_

She whipped her head behind her. There was nothing but a wall yet she could swear in Yena's rubber duckies that she had heard her younger brother's... Jaehyun's voice somewhere.

_Ah... You're here for us, aren't you? Thank you, Jaehyun._

A sense of relief coursed through her system, she could feel her tensed shoulders finally loosen up. Her worries completely washed away by a certain voice as she cut the umbilical cord with complete determination... like how her negativities were cut off by her brother's words. A vow in her mind as she did so.

_I'm sorry. I'll do my best and make sure we'll become the best parents in the world for her._

She smiled and took a step forward towards Sakura. The older girl's heavy-lidded gaze fell on her then a sweet but tired smile painted on her lips. "Chaeyeon, our baby is finally here."

"Yeah. She looks so pretty, doesn't she?"

Sakura gave a feeble hum. "Even her name... is beautiful, right..."

Chaeyeon grinned cheekily. "Of course. She's our baby _Lee Wonyoung._"

"But I'm still mad at you for making me give birth to her earlier than scheduled _by accident_."

Sakura looked at her coldly despite being weakened from the delivery. Chaeyeon could only smile sheepishly.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, I'm actually alive lol 
> 
> I'm really sorry that I've been inactive. I'm really having trouble going back in track with my initial end for this story since everything became blank for me. I do know that the quality is deteriorating and I'm really, really, really sorry about that. I'll do my very best to write updates, however.
> 
> On the brighter side of things, I'm working on a more solid plot (I guess) for a new story (2Kim main). You see, this author always has ideas popping in her head every now and then so she really has to solidify and put details on her ideas first before they go poof in her head like what happened to her ideas in Stray Cat.


	10. Pure

"Hey, there." Chaeyeon greeted while Sakura smiled at the red-head who loudly slid the hospital room's door open. She was still huffing while her hands rested on her knees as she tries to catch her breath. The girl had literally just ran as if some kind of monstrosity was chasing after her.

"H-hello. Sakura-unnie. H-how are y-you feeling?"

"You should try stabilizing yourself first before speaking." Her cousin cackled at her, back still facing Chaewon ever since the younger arrived earlier. "You could've come here in the morning. The sun hasn't even risen yet. I can't believe the guard let you in here." 

Chaewon gently put down the basket of fruit she had prepared. It was supposed to be for tomorrow afternoon but she ended up bringing it to the hospital in the middle of the night. She received Chaeyeon's call about Sakura giving birth a few hours earlier than intended so she sprang on her feet despite being completely burnt out from work just to run to the hospital as soon as possible.

"Have you forgotten who my fiance is and the fact that I'm a Kim? Of course, they'll let me in." Chaewon rolled her eyes then smirked. "Anyways, where's my Baby Bunny?"

"You already have a nickname for her when you haven't even seen her yet?" Chaeyeon was laughing at her cousin heartily, grinning ear to ear and unable to hide her overflowing happiness.

It's quite obvious that it's not only Sakura and her who are really excited about the baby. Chaewon has been on alert ever since the start of the week, continuously asking her cousin if her niece is finally out as if she's also Baby Wonyoung's mother. She was constantly over the edge. Even Minjoo started laughing at her fiance because she was way too excited to have a new family but it's something her close friends expected so they were not really so surprised. Although she was showing indifference at first, everyone knew what she really thinks especially Chaeyeon, Eunbi, and Minjoo. They knew how ecstatic she is.

"Of course, I'm sure she's gonna be as cute as me."

Sakura wasn't able to stop the slightest tinge of pink on her cheeks from showing and a quiet laugh from escaping from her throat.

"You mean as pretty as her mom?" Chaeyeon grinned and look at her lover.

"Stop teasing me, Chaeyeon. Oh, and Chaewon, thank you for visiting. I'm doing fine." Sakura gave her a weak smile, fatigue still evident on her face. It was then when Chaewon finally noticed a bag of blood dangling on one of the IV poles beside the hospital bed. Suddenly, the younger's face warped in worry.

Chaeyeon followed her cousin's line of sight and smiled. "She's fine, Chaewon. She just lost a lot of blood during her delivery but there're no other complications. Wonyoung is completely healthy. Look."

The older girl turned to show her a small baby in her arms sleeping peacefully. Her face still puffy and skin reddish but everyone would be able to tell that the baby is definitely going to be a beauty when she grows up.

_...when she grows up._

Chaewon's tears started falling down from her eyes one by one as she shakily took small steps towards her cousin and niece.

"You sure are acting as if you're the mother here. You're too emotional." Chaeyeon wryly smiled at her.

"W-well, of course. I'm just so happy for you."

_You're really not alone anymore, unnie. You now have a family, something that was once taken away from us. _

"She's a new family for us. I've been waiting for years to have an addition to _our family_ after those bastards took my mother away from me. I never thought we'll be blessed with another one so you have no idea how happy I truly feel right now." Chaewon was growling at her first words but her face immediately softened when she hesitatingly touched the baby's delicate hands wrapped in a white mitten. "I swear to protect our family whatever the cost. That includes you, Sakura-unnie, Eunbi-unnie, those five stupid dorks, Minjoo, my parents, and now, Baby Wonyoung."

"Chaewon..."

Chaeyeon couldn't utter a word. She knew how sensitive the girl is when it comes to family and how her younger cousin will do everything in her power to keep them safe and happy. She was once willing to take even the dark, dirty route to do so... _and so is **she**_.

Out of nowhere, the voice of the girl who has been quiet filled the room, slipping into their conversation.

"Chaewon-ah, thank you for seeing me as a family member." Sakura said while smiling after she noticed the heavy atmosphere between the two. The older eyes locked onto her orbs, a facial expression so unreadable that Chaewon felt chills slightly creeping on her spine. "But you know, you should protect yourself too, not just the others. We'll all protect each other, okay? We're here for you as you are here for us. I'll never let you guys be hurt too." As if a switch, Sakura's smiled appeared on her face once again. "I'm sorry for cutting in suddenly."

"Sakura-unnie... thank you so much." She gave the older girl a sincere smile.

"That's right, Chaewon. I'm not alone anymore, so are you. Uncle had opened his eyes to the truth and became a real family for you. She even married Eunbi-unnie's mother thinking about how she'll be his support as well as considering how much of a great mother she's going to be for you."

"Y-yeah. Thank you, unnie." The Kim gave a smile before letting her eyes fall on the baby. "We'll make sure you won't go through the same hardships as us. Both Yujin and you, and the other new kids who will appear in the future will be protected by us, adults."

Chaewon kissed Wonyoung's tiny hand, the gentle baby scent wafted through her senses which made her nerves relax. It felt as if she was in front of an angel, a creature capable of making them smile and feel calm without doing anything. She simply felt so much affection towards the child.

"Unnie, can I please hold her?"

"Of course you can." Chaeyeon laughed almost silently.

"B-but I don't know how to hold her." Chaewon rubbed the back of her nape in embarrassment.

Chaeyeon smiled.

"It's going to be okay, Chaewon." Sakura smiled at her. "But be careful. Babies are really vulnerable."

"Th-then I don't think I can hold her. I'm scared." Chaewon wilted dejectedly like a dying flower, frowning and frustrated.

"Saku-chan's just joking. Come here and hold Wonyoung."

"Wh-what if I held her wrongly?"

Chaeyeon shook her head while laughing.

She was just as unsure as her younger cousin when she first held Baby Wonyoung. Despite watching and researching countless tutorials about taking care of babies as first-time parents, Chaeyeon was so nervous that she just stood frozen on her feet when Minjoo returned with Wonyoung after the additional check-ups subsequently done to her when she was born. She finally figured out that the actual experience is still at another level than the simulation in her mind. 

It was the first time in her life that her hands shook too much. Even Sakura laughed at her in amusement when she saw how much Chaeyeon's hands were vibrating. Thankfully, Minjoo helped her how to properly cradle babies in her arms like the real expert that she is. She felt proud. The moment she was able to softly rock the sleeping Wonyoung in her arms for the first time was one of the biggest achievements in her entire life. It was as if everything around her turned bright and colorful. She was experiencing happiness, pure bliss. And of course, Chaeyeon wanted Chaewon to experience that same feeling.

"U-unnie, what if I accidentally make a mistake?"

"Hey now. Saku-chan was joking." Her older cousin giggled. "Come here, put your arms right beneath her frame. Carefully, and support her head and bottom, okay? Let her rest on your forearms."

The younger bobbed her head eagerly.

"Support her bottom with your left hand first then I'll let her slowly slide towards you. Let her rest her head comfortably on your arm."

Chaewon cautiously did as instructed like an obedient puppy, an expression mixed from worry and excitement adorning her usually strict-looking face. 

"I'll let go now so make sure you're carrying all of her weight. Let your other hand support her head."

As soon as she was able to hold Wonyoung by herself, Chaewon couldn't contain the happiness she was feeling as a bright smile immediately appeared on her face. She had tried to suppress the smile by biting her lower lip but miserably failed, her eyes on the brink of letting tears flow out from them.

"Let me remind you, I'm the mother here, not you." Chaeyeon chortled then gestured her to sit on the couch beside her to which the younger quietly abided.

"I never thought I'll be able to carry a baby like this. Unnie, I'm so happy." Chaewon laughed softly.

"What are you talking about? I wonder what's going to happen to you when Minjoo gives birth to your child."

"Th-that's..." A reddish tint painted the younger's cheeks as well as her ears.

Chaeyeon grinned. "You're probably wilding in your mind while imagining a pregnant Minjoo."

"I can't help it okay!" Chaewon huffed. "I also want to see our children soon."

"Just to let you know, we also decided that you're gonna be Wonyoung's godmother so there will be a lot of responsibilities waiting for you in the future."

"W-what?!"

Chaeyeon burst out in laughter.

Sakura watched the cousins warmly tease and joke around each other. She felt extremely happy at the sight of having a loving family, something she never had. She was glad that her daughter wouldn't experience the same loneliness and pressure she went through. Their baby is going to have two loving mothers and (most probably) extremely protective aunts who will protect her with everything they've got and give her the best life as much as they could without (maybe) spoiling her too much. The Japanese wondered if she had actually saved a country just to have this moment in her life.

A sudden knock echoed in the room which made the three whip their heads towards the source of the noise. Shortly, the door opened to reveal a beautiful woman clad in a white coat. She was surprised to see a (not really) unexpected visitor in the room.

"Chaewon?" 

The girl in question felt a grin form on her face. "Hey there, babe."

"What are you doing here at this hour?" Minjoo frowned. "You should rest first. I know you haven't slept yet after working all night."

Chaewon smiled wryly at her fiance's nagging. She slowly passed Wonyoung back to a smirking Chaeyeon. Chaewon knows that she's in the wrong this time and she doesn't want to go argue with her fiance when it's clearly her fault. The older girl stood up and walked towards her lover, putting her hands on Minjoo's waist, peering through her girl's eyes while smiling. "Sorry, babe."

Minjoo clicked her tongue and broke the eye contact.

"Come on. Please forgive me?" Chaewon pouted at her.

"Sorry to disrupt your flirting but I also think you should rest, Chaewon." Chaeyeon uttered with her eyebrows raised. She gently put Wonyoung on Sakura's tummy to let the mothers enjoy some skin to skin contact. Suddenly, Wonyoung's lips twitch upwards as if smiling.

The three who saw her cooed in unison.

"I don't want to leave yet. I want to see Baby Bunny more..." Chaewon started sulking and stomping her feet like a child. She never shows her childish side to other people so Sakura was surprised to see the younger girl acting that way, far from being her usual indifferent self, making her giggle.

"Babe, please rest. You can come to my office to sleep if you want to right now."

"But..."

"Rest." Minjoo softly brushed Chaewon's cheek with the back of her hand while smiling softly. "Just rest for a bit, okay?"

"Okay, fine. But can I at least stay while you're still here?"

The doctor giggled, finding her fiance adorable. "Fine. I was just going to check how Sakura-unnie and Wonyoung are doing as a friend and well, as soon to be aunt-in-law too."

Sakura chuckled. "I'm doing fine so far. My wound still hurts a lot but I'm more worried about Chaeyeon's hand, to be honest."

"My hand's fine. I already got it patched up and I'm wearing a supporter." The younger of the couple smiled wryly.

"That's good. Sakura-unnie, you should already start walking for a bit later in the afternoon. Only lying down on the bed won't be really good for you. You have to move as well."

"Okay, got it. Thank you."

"Oh right, have you fed Baby Wonyoung already— wait, Chaeyeon-unnie, are you okay?" Minjoo worriedly approached Chaeyeon as she started coughing and gasping for air. The older girl was as red as a tomato, recalling what happened earlier.

"Unnie, you recalled how you saw Sakura-unnie breastfeed, didn't you?" Chaewon teasingly laughed at her cousin's silliness then wiggled her eyebrows.

"Sh-shut up!" Chaeyeon buried her face in her hands. 

The image of Sakura feeding Wonyoung popped inside Chaeyeon's head. It wasn't easy to brush it off especially when you see more of your lover's skin and it's not just the simple skin she saw. Chaeyeon wanted to scream from the ticklish feeling she has in her chest, her heart wanting to beat out of her ribcage. She knows how much she was blushing, hell, she was even quite sure steam could come out of her ears from embarrassment.

"How pure." The younger of the cousins cackled. "Did she turn you on?"

"I said shut up you little—" Chaeyeon suddenly threw her shoes at Chaewon who was still busy laughing at her. 

"Don't worry, unnie. Wait for a few months and you'll probably show Sakura-unnie the lion in you and devour her." Chaewon wiggled her eyebrows before immediately bolting outside the room to leave them knowing that her older cousin wants to have her head at the moment. 

"Yah! Kim Chaewon!" The older whisper-yelled at her.

Sakura couldn't stop laughing at the two. She was sure that the younger only teased her because Chaeyeon teased her too much earlier but she herself was blushing at Chaewon's remark as well. What the younger had mentioned is a subject the couple has never touched upon.

"Unnie, I'll be back later." Minjoo shook her head while giggling at her fiance's antics. "Oh right, I almost forgot." Minjoo turned around as she was already outside when she remembered what she wanted to tell the couple. 

"What is it?" Chaeyeon raised her eyebrows in curiosity.

"You can take a warm shower later if you want. Chaeyeon-unnie could help you and you can call me if you want me to take care of Wonyoung while you two do your business. Now then, I'll go check on _my own baby too._" The young doctor smugly grinned at them before silently closing the door leaving the dumbfounded couple frozen and flushed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, it's me!  
Been a while since I last posted an update (obviously) haha  
I'm sorry but I'm here to make a formal announcement of Stray Cat's hiatus.  
I don't know how long will it take before I update again because of both real-life stuff and the writer's block I've been experiencing for months so I won't promise anything other than the fact that I'll see to it that this story will be finished. I will not leave it forever, I just wanted to take a break. I know how it feels to read something and eventually find out that the author dropped it so I won't do the same thing to you guys.  
I'll be back.  
Thank you for being patient and I'm really sorry.  
Hope you'll still look forward to my future updates.  
See ya!


	11. A Vow

Sakura weakly opened her heavy eyelids when she felt Baby Wonyoung shuffling beside her. The corners of her lips tugged upwards. Chaeyeon was fighting off her sleepiness while instinctively caressing the swaddled Wonyoung, seemingly unaware that her lover woke up from her sleep.

She realized Hitomi's absence. Their friend who helped them a lot tonight probably left after Chaeyeon insisted that she has attend to Yujin's birthday party. It was quite saddening that they couldn't celebrate with them but she hoped her friends are having fun.

The older girl stared at her new family affectionately. 

Almost a whole day has passed since she gave birth to an angel. She still felt slightly exhausted and drained but seeing the two most important people in her life surely gave her strength. She felt the comfortable warmth spreading inside her as if her heart grew so big and full at the rewarding sight. Sakura felt extremely happy, happiest she's ever been in her entire existence, so much that it was beyond mere words to describe what she truly is feeling. She wiped the tears that started streaming down her cheeks. She began to wonder if she actually saved not just the world but the whole universe in her past life to experience such bliss.

_No matter what happens, I will never leave you two. I'll always protect you, my angels._

She gingerly grabbed her phone on the table beside the hospital bed, thankful that she was able to reach it although her wound did hurt from the movement. Sakura then secretly took pictures of her now sleeping lover and their daughter before finally pressing the record button, opting the device to start recording a video of the heartwarming moment. She placed her phone on the table to let everything be visible.

"Chaeyeon." She softly called her with a smile.

The younger girl frowned in her sleep, eyebrows meeting in the middle in protest. Sakura giggled. As much as she wants to let her girlfriend sleep more, she can't just ignore the fact that Wonyoung's blanket is getting undone so they will need to wrap her up again. 

"Chaeyeon?" The older girl lightly tapped Chaeyeon's forearm.

"Baby? Wake up."

"Love?"

"Babe?" Sakura couldn't help stop smiling at her pouting lover. It seems like the girl is extremely sleep deprived so she reminded herself to call for Hyewon to come back after she successfully wakes up the sleepyhead beside her. She does feel quite guilty that she had to call the girl again when she had just left a few hours ago but the girl did tell her to call for her any time of the day to help them take care of Wonyoung (Hyewon has always been attentive of her because she was her mistress, the person she's dedicated to serve in her whole life, but her service seemed to be even more excessive after Sakura gave birth).

"Chaeyeon, wake up." Sakura caressed Chaeyeon's hand lovingly. "Wife?"

Sakura blushed when she realized what she just unconsciously called Chaeyeon but the other girl started stirring awake.

"Hm? Saku-chan?"

"H-hey, baby. Sorry for disturbing your sleep."

"It's fine. What's wrong?" Chaeyeon, although groggy, smiled at her.

"Wonyoung's swaddle is getting undone. We also need to check her diaper."

The younger girl hummed in affirmation before leaving a kiss on Sakura's forehead. She dumbly stood up and went to the closet, grabbing a new diaper and a blanket for Wonyoung, still unaware of the camera capturing her every movement.

It made Sakura laugh.

"Chaeyeon." She called her attention.

"Hm?"

"I love you."

Chaeyeon lazily grinned. "I love you too, my queen."

The Japanese badly wanted to pinch the sleepy Chaeyeon's cute cheeks at the moment but she refrained from doing so. Nevermind doing that, she couldn't even move properly because of her cut. She simply watched her partner carefully wash Wonyoung with clean warm water and change her diaper before applying alcohol on her stump just as they were instructed by Minjoo.

As much as the couple didn't want the infant to cry, the cold feeling that the alcohol gave off made her wail in protest. She immediately folded and wrapped her in a warm blanket like a burrito (what Hyewon mentioned) before Chaeyeon quickly cradled her and walked around the private room instead of rocking her to sleep.

_"Don't get the habit of rocking Wonyoung to sleep!"_

She remembered how stern Yuri sounded as though she was scolding her when Sakura cluelessly asked about how to rock a baby to sleep. The hamster-looking girl told them over and over again to not rock Wonyoung to sleep in order to avoid her dependence on the motion just to sleep.

_"Just walk around if you want to soothe her but no rocking! You're going to suffer in the end if not." _

The young pediatrician strictly said while carrying Yujin in her arms who was just smiling at them, her eyes forming crescents. If they were being honest, it was quite hard for the upcoming parents not to get distracted by the deadly charm of the infant in her arms. Luckily, her words got stuck in their head after the young doctor reprimanded them for being absent-minded (the pair couldn't forget the glint of mischief in Yujin's eyes when they got scolded which was eventually followed by a giggle). Yujin was just an eleven-month-old child that time but she already started walking and is smart enough to understand bits of what they were talking about. They knew that time. Yujin is going to become an incredible child when she grows up, albeit probably mischievous like Yena. She's got incredible parents after all. Sakura smiled at the memory.

She hopes Yujin will get along well with Wonyoung.

Sakura continued staring at her flustered girlfriend, who started getting worried when Wonyoung didn't stop crying after a minute went by. She glanced at the older girl, showing a troubled look — the scene was too heart-melting and she was glad it's still being recorded. It made her smile.

_She's probably hungry._

Sakura thought.

"Give her to me."

Chaeyeon silently complied to her command, passing their child to her lover but not before leaving a peck on Sakura's lips while she's at it. She froze on her spot, however, when Sakura began unbuttoning her hospital gown.

"O-oh. D-do you think she's hungry?"

"I guess so. She probably needs to eat now." 

Chaeyeon felt herself combust when Sakura exposed her breast to feed Wonyoung without a second thought, assisting Wonyoung in order to help her latch on for milk. The younger girl was incoherently screaming in her mind, feeling as if her soul left her body. It was always a huge blow to her sanity every time she witnesses her lover breastfeed their daughter. To make it worse, it seems like she'll have a really hard time getting used to it — Chaeyeon doesn't know anymore if it's dangerous or she's the one who's posing danger. 

She recalled what happened earlier in the afternoon. She blanked out and malfunctioned when she helped Sakura clean her body. The unforgettable sensation of her lover's soft body. Chaeyeon couldn't just overlook the beauty who stood in front of her fully exposed. The fact that the feeling of her soapy hands slowly gliding around Sakura's bare skin was intricately carved in her memory didn't help at all. It gave her shivers and she couldn't stop the wild thoughts from entering her mind. It was a torture... the worst one for her especially when she had to slide her hands on her chest — Chaeyeon almost fainted.

Fortunately, her nose didn't bleed. It saved her from further embarrassment.

In all honesty, Hyewon actually volunteered to help (without any ill intention) instead because of Chaeyeon's injury, much to Chaewon, Minjoo, Eunbi, and Chaeyeon’s shock. Sakura remembered how everyone looked at Hyewon as if she grew two heads. Chaeyeon especially stayed adamant about it, displeased at the idea of someone else seeing her lover's naked body (even Eunbi frowned at the suggestion). Her desperate attempt to persuade her just made Sakura chuckle in amusement. She was used to being taken care of by Hyewon ever since she started serving her when she was young. It was like a habit so she was about to accept but reconsidered it because of her cute jelly lover and to protect her own secret. 

Sakura had to admit. It was a big miss on her and Hyewon’s part. The two of them actually forgot about their unspoken rule. They had long decided to not tell the others something that they never shared, their origin and the reason they stayed in Korea. But the older girl knew... she had to tell Chaeyeon soon… 

...but not too soon. 

She still isn’t ready.

(Unknown to the new parents, however, is the fact that the other girls scolded the innocent Hyewon for suggesting something ridiculous when they left the room to leave the family alone — Eunbi was close to calling off their date the next day but she couldn’t say no to Hyewon’s puppy eyes.)

Sakura's eyes gravitated towards the harbinger of miracle in her arms, her baby… their baby, Lee Wonyoung. She stared at her affectionately. Regardless of how she becomes when she grows up, she thought she's still her treasure she'll always keep safe. She already knew she and Chaeyeon will do everything for her in the future but she hopes she doesn't get too spoiled by everyone. 

She then turned to glance at Chaeyeon who was covering her eyes like an idiot. She felt her ears grow warm from the second-hand embarrassment. "What? You're still not used to it?" 

"W-well, I don't think I'll get used to seeing more of you anytime soon. S-sorry. This sight is... bad for me. Everything is actually like a test for my self-control."

The Japanese smiled. "You should go back to sleep for now. I can manage this."

"Did you ask for Hyewon's help?"

"Not yet but I will. How did you know?"

Chaeyeon blinked her eyes slowly as if Sakura asked the obvious. "She literally didn't even want to leave last night before you went into labor and was constantly asking us if we ever need anything earlier."

Sakura giggled. "I apologize on her behalf. She's... well... really indebted to me so she's acting like that."

"I bet she would still be here if Eunbi-unnie didn't drag her out of the room. The others are probably still celebrating Yujin's birthday so they wouldn't be able to come, not to mention, they'll be too tired due to their work and all."

"True." The older girl smiled. "But anyway, don't worry about Hyewon. She's just extremely loyal to me. She doesn't even think twice if she thinks it's the best for me." 

"Okay."

"Why are you being cold?" Sakura laughed in her mind.

"I'm not."

"Are you jealous?"

Chae scoffed, trying to hide the green-eyed monster that peeked from the inside of her. "What? She's our friend."

"You don't need to worry. I'm all yours." Sakura cooed at the moody Chaeyeon. "She's more like a Mom at times."

Chaeyeon narrowed her eyes at her. "Your relationship sounds a lot like a master and servant in my opinion." 

Sakura kept mum. She felt the surge of guilt about keeping a secret to her lover but a part of her also knew that just because they’re lovers doesn’t mean she can tell everything about her. At least not at the moment.

As if reading what she's thinking Chaeyeon let out a sigh. "It's fine. I trust you, okay?"

The older girl was about to open her mouth when her face warped in pain, eyes forced shut as she bit her lip to stop herself from screaming, after she felt Wonyoung sucking on her with too much force to drink more milk.

"S-saku-chan, what's wrong?" Chaeyeon's drowsiness disappeared in an instant. 

"I-it hurts." Tears pooled in her chocolate orbs. "Wonyoungie is..."

The younger girl looked confuzzled. She's been frustrated about it. She badly wanted to alleviate the pain Sakura is dealing with ever since she gave birth. Heaven knows how much she wants to switch places with her girlfriend instead but that isn't possible. They had been warned by Yuri and Minjoo about the pain Sakura may experience during the first two weeks of breastfeeding as her body adjusts to Wonyoung's needs. Still, it was disheartening to know that she couldn't shoulder the pain Sakura was experiencing.

Chaeyeon decided to stand up and partially sit beside her lover on the hospital bed. She kissed Sakura's crown tenderly, wrapping her left arm around her shoulder in a gentle squeeze, leaving another kiss on Sakura's temple after holding the older girl's free right hand. "Here, you can hold my right hand and take out your pain there. Just don't break it too."

Sakura chuckled, leaning her head on Chaeyeon's shoulder without removing her eyes from their baby.

The younger girl nuzzled her face on the crook of Sakura's neck, inhaling the seemingly sweet scent of her skin before staring at their adorable princess. Seeing her features up close once again, a smile automatically bloomed on her face. "She looks as beautiful as you."

Sakura faced Chaeyeon, pecking her cheeks with a smile. "And pretty as you too."

"I love you." Chaeyeon closed her eyes, leaning their foreheads together. "My queen and my princess."

"We love you too." 

Sakura closed the distance between their lips with a quick but sweet kiss. It was enough to let their lips show what they truly felt that couldn't be put into words. Kissing Chaeyeon has always been magical but the one they just shared was filled by an overwhelming sense of content and bliss, it made them feel peaceful. It was as if they're in heaven, a place like their own little garden of Eden with their little angel.

They will never trade it for anything, never let anyone snatch it away from them no matter what happens. 

Even if it means crushing the biggest enterprise company in Japan. They will do it without any hesitation.

* * *

**I'm still not fully recovered from my writer's block but I felt guilty that this is the only work I'm not updating so... I decided to drop this here. :D**


	12. New

Sakura marveled at the sight the moment she got out of the hospital. The skies were painted with light strokes of yellow and orange clouds while the sun’s harsh glare had already softened. It was quite late in the afternoon and she knows that the day is about to end when she was discharged.

“Unnie, Chaeyeon-unnie says she’s here now.”

“Alright.” She looked back to smile at Minjoo, who was pushing her wheelchair. The doctor had just pocketed her phone inside her coat after speaking with Chaeyeon on the phone.

When a black and luxurious-looking SUV that she couldn’t recognize pulled up in front of her, Sakura automatically held the sleeping Wonyoung tighter. It was her maternal instincts kicking. She didn’t know why that car pulled up but when the windows rolled down and revealed a smiling Chaeyeon who muttered a soft, “Hey. Let’s get you guys inside,” she almost immediately threw her a puzzled look.

“I’ve never seen this car before.”

Chaeyeon smiled wryly.

“You see, unnie, Miss CEO right there bought it yesterday so you won’t have trouble getting inside the car since she only had coupes to drive.” Minjoo chuckled. “Don’t be surprised yet. She has something more to show you.”

“Hey! Stop exposing me and don’t spoil the surprise!” Chaeyeon exclaimed as Sakura eyed her, who just got out of the car to assist her.

Minjoo shrugged while helping Sakura stand up on her feet. “You know, I’d faint if it was me who’s to be surprised so as her doctor, I decided to give her a forewarning.”

The Japanese squinted her eyes at Chaeyeon as the girl seemingly busied herself with assisting her lover, acting as if she heard nothing. 

“What did you do?”

“Watch your head, baby.” Chaeyeon softly warned her while using her hand as a cushion for her head in case she bumps it.

On the other hand, Sakura continued staring at her girlfriend with a look of doubt as she very carefully entered the backseat of the newly bought car with their newborn daughter.

“You’re really hiding something….”

Chaeyeon laughed nervously before closing the door for her. She grinned at Minjoo, and ruffled the younger’s hair then jogged towards the driver’s seat to get away from the doctor’s narrowed and judging eyes — she just ended up laughing at her unnie’s antics anyways.

“Minjoo-ya, don’t forget to visit us!” Chaeyeon peeked from the window of the car.

“Alright, alright. I hope there won’t be an emergency.” The doctor smiled at them. Her worried gaze soon landed on her previous patient who was looking at Wonyoung with loving eyes. “Unnie, don’t push yourself too much, okay? It’s only been two days since you gave birth so be careful of your wound.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Sakura smiled.

“Good.” Minjoo beamed at the couple. “Take care! See you  _ later _ !”

“See you later!” Sakura answered back automatically. “Wait,  _ later _ ? What do you mean— Ya! Lee Chaeyeon why did you drive off when I’m not even done talking yet!” Sakura threw a glare at Chaeyeon but melted when she saw her pouting while watching Minjoo laugh out loud from the rear-view mirror.

“Hey, why are you sulking at her?” She laughs.

“She spills too much information.”

The older sighed in resignation before chuckling. “If I could, I would’ve pinched your nose right now. That was quite rude though.”

“I know.” The younger whispers. “But I’m not sorry.”

Soon, serenity occupied their space. Sakura silently observed Chaeyeon while driving, her eyes following every detailed movement of her girlfriend. From how her pretty hands held the wheel leisurely to how her right hand smoothly grabs the shifter. Even the way she sometimes traced the logo of the car — that three-pointed  _ star _ inside a circle. It was a habit she does when she’s completely absorbed with driving, a habit that only Sakura knows. It didn’t escape from her eyes. Of course, she also noticed Chaeyeon’s puffy cheeks, realizing that her girlfriend still seemed to be pouting even after almost five minutes had passed.

“Why are you being pouty?” She stared at the back of Chaeyeon’s head instead of locking eyes with her through the mirror because that’s a rather dangerous thing to do knowing how easily lost they get at each other’s orbs.

“You don’t seem to be happy about the car.”

Sakura raises her eyebrows. “What do you mean? I’m actually really happy and I would’ve showered you kisses when I first saw it if I was well enough but that isn’t the case.” She chortles. “But it’s not just that. More than the car, I want to look at you, driving from this seat. It’s a _ really  _ cool view here although you’ve been sulking since we left. You’re always so breathtakingly beautiful.”

Chaeyeon felt her heart skip a beat from her girlfriend’s flirty words. She was rather thankful that they started talking at an intersection with a red light as she really doesn’t want any accident happening simply because she got flustered by Sakura’s bold statement. 

The driver clears her throat but Sakura stares at her visible red ear instead, mumbling a small  _ “Cute…” _ while giggling to herself.

The comfortable silence between them continued.

Sakura finally let her eyes wander outside. She looked at the view from the window as they drove past the numerous familiar buildings, the same monotonous and busy scene she gets when they go home after Chaeyeon drove her around during her pregnancy. She smiled as she reminisced the time when the baby cradled in her arms was still inside her. Those were the moments when the romance between her and the girl in front of her slowly blossomed.

As they passed through the bridge where she and Chaeyeon first met, she felt rather emotional. Wonyoung, their baby. Thinking about it, she’s the bridge which made them; the two strangers with a rather unique connection, meet for the first time. It was as if fate brought them together through an angel.

She smiles further.

She knows that in a few minutes, they’ll finally arrive home as Chaeyeon’s unit was just a few blocks away from the bridge. She felt excited, excited that Wonyoung will finally arrive at their cozy home for the first time. It made her giddy... but that feeling was immediately replaced with confusion. 

“Chaeyeon?”

Chaeyeon hummed in response.

“Wait. Are you sure we should be going this way?” Sakura kept her eyes on the not so familiar rows of stores that they continued passing by. She was baffled when Chaeyeon didn’t turn to the usual corner of the neighborhood to get to where her condominium is located. Instead of doing so, she continued driving forward, treading the busy highway with other cars.

Chaeyeon smiled and nodded. “As sure as my feelings for you, babe.”

Sakura froze.

_ Alright, that’s one hell of a comeback. _

She wanted to laugh at the back of her mind but she ignored the rosy blush on her cheeks to focus on getting answers. “Are you going to buy something?”

“Not at all.” Chaeyeon chuckled. “We’re heading home. We’ll be there in a few.”

“What?”

“Trust me, okay?"

_ What do you mean home? _

Sakura wanted to ask but ultimately decided to keep it to herself. She nodded her head silently with a smile. “Always.” 

She kept mum as she tried to familiarize herself with the new view. It went on for a few minutes until she realized that the mountain she could only see from afar back then had grown large in size. As they approached the small mountain, the number of buildings had grown even lesser and the road had become steep. The greens were noticeably more prominent with trees and shrubs neatly arranged at the side of the road. Now, the endless blocks of concrete which were huddled up in the busy city earlier almost felt like an illusion to her. The difference in the environment was quite evident.

“Chaeyeon, what are we doing here?” She asked while frowning. Her eyes continued landing on the different types of beautiful mansions, some not even visible enough for her to see as their fences seemed to be taller than the actual structure inside the lot. 

“You’ll see soon, babe.” Chaeyeon’s voice sounded so sweet, sweeter and softer than the usual voice she uses when she talks to Sakura. It was quite shaky, however, but she chose to ignore it and focus more on the side of the road from afar. 

The sun is about to set and the sky is filled with orange and red clouds. It’s been almost an hour since they started traveling so she’s probably tired. The view from the place was majestic but before that, she swore in all of the gods’ names she could enumerate, that the woman she could see at the side of the road, holding something in her hands was Kang Hyewon. And what in the living hell is Kang Hyewon doing there? Sakura continued to ponder.

When Chaeyeon finally stopped the car in front of a place with almost 3-meter high concrete fence (Sakura couldn’t even see what’s inside), she immediately looked at the girl standing in front of the big gate in suspicion.

Chaeyeon laughed at the glare she was emitting towards their clueless friend. “Come on, Saku-chan. I’m pretty sure she can’t see that cute little kitty glare of yours that you’re currently giving her.”

Sakura huffed. “Is it me or is Hyewon standing outside while holding a cake? And is that Eunbi-unnie behind her?”

“No, you’re right. That’s totally them.” The Korean grinned as she removed her seatbelt. “Let’s get you guys outside, shall we? Would you like to use a wheelchair?”

She shook her head. “Even though it’s really painful, I can still walk so no need for that. But seriously, Chae, where are we?”

Chaeyeon turned to her with a smile. She then swiftly went out of the car and opened the door for Sakura, crouching to make sure that their gazes met without delay. Sakura noticed the way she just looked at her with pure affection and sincerity while giving her a warm smile. Chaeyeon took her right hand, her hand so warm that it makes the older think that she’ll melt from the touch.

“You see, this is the house I grew up in. I haven’t been here for almost a decade but I got it renovated a month ago so we can stay here, a place where Wonyoung can grow more comfortable, quite far from the noisy and busy neighborhood we stayed at. This is going to be our new home.”

She proceeded to land a soft kiss on Sakura’s forehead as well as Wonyoung’s small hand covered by a mitten while she continued to caress the back of Sakura’s hand, not letting go of her. “I’m sorry if this seems abrupt. I wanted the best environment for the both of you and I wanted to surprise you as well.”

“Chae…” Sakura felt the tears slowly pool in her eyes. “I love you.”

“I love you too.” Chaeyeon sweetly answered back with a grin as she reached for Sakura’s lips.

“So… uh… guys?” Eunbi coughed to catch their attention. “Please don’t forget we’re here before… uh... you get too intimate in front of us.”

“I admit that it’s cute but it’s disgusting too.” Hyewon muttered, a hint of horror in her voice. “Also, it’s actually tiring to hold onto this cake. I’ve been standing here with this for almost half an hour. You have no idea how much I want to eat this right now—”

“Hyewon…”

“ImeanIcouldholdontothisforeverifyouwant,ofcourse.I’mnotreallycomplainingoranything.Ifitmakesyouhappy,I’llstayherewiththiscaketheentirenightwithouteventouchingit.Ireallydon’tmind.Yeah.Evenifit’sfrommyfavoritecakeshop,Iwon’teatanything.Justsaytheword.Yes.”

Eunbi looked at her weirdly before laughing. “Hyewon, breathe.”

The said girl immediately sucked in some air which made the other three laugh in unison.

“I didn’t know you could be silly like that.” Chaeyeon uttered with a lop-sided grin.

“Me neither.” Sakura giggled. “This is a first.”

“Seriously? Even you, Saku-chan? That’s surprising.” Chaeyeon chuckled before she faced Hyewon who was looking at them blankly. “Anyway, sorry for being too distracted but would you like to hold Wonyoung instead? It’s getting quite late so we have to get inside soon. We can’t have her exposed to the cold of the night. You should bring her inside.”

Hyewon’s emotionless face instantly brightened up at the younger’s words and her eyes sparkled in a rather unbelievable way, the excitement she has been keeping since earlier filling her up once again. She had visited Sakura once after she gave birth but it was when Wonyoung was being monitored so much to her disappointment, she had failed to see the angel. Today is their first meeting, the first time she’ll see her mistress’ child. Who wouldn’t be giddy? 

Eunbi smiled at her. If she was being honest, it wasn’t a common sight to see an excited Hyewon. They’ve only known each other for a few months but the number of times she’s seen her being giddy could only be counted in one hand. The sparkle of excitement in her eyes was a first. She was like a child who was given the best gift she ever wished for and being the thoughtful eldest that she is, Eunbi kept her own excitement to herself. Like Hyewon, she hasn’t seen Wonyoung yet either. She got drowned in a mountain of paperwork with the company encountering some problems but today was finally a free day for her. Still, she’d rather see the younger at her peak in happiness than argue with her just so she could hold Wonyoung first. Hyewon’s happiness felt like her real happiness as well. She doesn’t understand why she feels that way, however.

All she knows is that seeing Hyewon smile like this has made her the happiest person at the moment.

“Go on. I’ll take the cake.” Eunbi smiled and immediately took care of the cake in Hyewon’s stead to let the woman cradle the adorable baby.

After a few seconds of strict warnings from Sakura, Hyewon was able to hold Wonyoung in her arms albeit awkwardly. She faced Eunbi with a big smile, showing the baby and cooing Wonyoung while she’s at it. “Unnie! Look! Our Wonyoungie is so pretty!”

Eunbi felt herself melt at the sight.

It was completely out of their friend’s usual character so the couple watched her, completely amused. It’s really quite weird for  _ that  _ Hyewon to act like this but they figured she might just be too excited that she seemed to be possessed by someone else, probably an old aunt, at the moment.

A minute after the commotion, an old man and three women in suits came out of the mansion to help them out with the luggage. Chaeyeon seemed to be unbothered so the clique didn’t really mind them when they proceeded to unload the things from the trunk of the car.

“It hurts.” Sakura gritted her teeth as she tried to take small steps. Chaeyeon gave her hand a weak squeeze while Hyewon’s neck whipped towards Sakura who groaned.

“Oj—Sakura, why don’t you use a wheelchair for now?” She asked in worry.

Sakura smiled at her. “No, I’m fine. Although it’s painful, I have to get used to it.”

Chaeyeon kissed Sakura’s temple to cheer for her, placing her left hand on Sakura’s back. “You can do it. I’ll be here so take your time.”

The Japanese nodded. It took them a few minutes to successfully enter the gate of the house, failing to notice a girl with a camera observing them from afar.

\--

_ “She lives in a place called Pyeongchang-dong in Seoul, you say?” _

An old man in a traditional hakama muttered, his voice filled with authority, indirectly asking the person kneeling behind him. Putting down the whisk at the side, he took a sip from the cup of green tea he had just finished preparing. He then stared at the picture of a couple who was about to enter their house, one whose face couldn’t be seen was assisting the other. It made his eye twitch. _ _

_ “And are you also saying that she is confirmed to be in a relationship with another woman?” _

“Yes, sir.” The woman in her mid-twenties answered resolutely without raising her head. 

The man took a deep breath with his eyes closed only for his sight to land on a photo he finds repulsive. It was another picture of two women smiling at each other while eating dinner at a high-end restaurant, the one from Tokyo Skytree to be specific.  _ “Was it the same woman she was with months ago?”  _

“Yes, sir.”

_ “What a disgrace. For such a woman to dishonor our lineage.”  _ He sighs with a scowl on his face.  _ “If only things aren’t as they are right now… if only we don’t need her right now.”  _ The man seethingly stood up from his seat. “ _ Continue observing them from afar.”  _

His tone was calm yet venomous. It would make anyone cower but the servant remained unbothered. Raising her face to reveal a face that could be considered out of this world, she gave the old man a small smile. 

“Gratefully, sir.” 

_ “I’ll leave it to you.” _

“It is an honor, sir.” She lowered her head once again, waiting for the man to leave the room.

“ _ Good.” _

  
  
  
  



	13. The One She Left Behind

A piercing cry resounded inside a dimly-lit bedroom making two adults groan from their sleep. They sluggishly got up, seemingly dragging their leaden body to move but the glint in their eyes showed alertness as they tried to pacify the wailing infant lying between the two of them. The taller of the couple immediately reached for the switch to open the lights to illuminate the place better, shortly revealing their baby’s puffy face flushed from the crying. 

“Saku-chan, do you think she’s hungry?” Chaeyeon stifled a yawn while her hand reached for her child, adjusting the beanie on Wonyoung’s small head. 

Honestly, it hasn’t even been an hour since they started sleeping but it seems like they’ll need to rest later instead and shower their little angel attention for now. The couple's worried gaze never left their child. Although the bags under their eyes have been getting worse these past few days, it didn’t stop them from pushing themselves just to care for Wonyoung. They knew it was their duty to nurse her and albeit draining, the sight of their child energizes them to the fullest — well, psychologically and emotionally at least. 

“I guess she needs food.” Sakura muttered her agreement affectionately as she decided to cradle Wonyoung who was still securely wrapped in her pink unicorn-patterned blanket.

The newborn almost immediately stopped crying the moment Sakura carried her as if she knew that she’s about to be fed by her mother.

“Look at this. Such a mama’s girl that you are.” Chaeyeon chuckled but ended up yelping when she felt Sakura’s grip on her arm the moment Wonyoung latched on her.

“S-sorry, babe. It just hurts so much right now.” Sakura bit her lower lip as she tried to bear the physical pain of feeding Wonyoung with her lesser sore side. It was a given that her body is still not used to it even after a week or two of giving birth but that doesn’t mean it’ll be like that until Wonyoung stops feeding on her. She was aware that it would take a few more days till the pain gets away and of course, she’s willing to tolerate absolutely everything she has to go through just for her daughter. 

Chaeyeon laughed wryly. “Thankfully, my wrist is fully healed.” She smiled as she laced their hands together to let Sakura take out the discomfort she was feeling on her by gripping her hand instead. 

It was way better than just looking at her lover who’s enduring the pain alone with tears on the brink of rolling down her cheeks. At least the older feels the comfort from her hand. She remembers that one certain night during Sakura’s pregnancy — when she told her that holding her hand felt like it completed something that was missing in her, that it was as if her heart was wrapped by a warm blanket. From that moment onwards, the younger would sometimes find herself lonely too, especially when their hands didn’t intertwine at least once a day. In times when she had to attend an important meeting and not meet Sakura for more than twenty-four hours due to an important schedule at work, she would miss her presence and become a  _ ‘sadistic emo bitch who hates the world’ _ — as per Nako’s words. She’d make their company’s workers whimper in submission when she starts asking for things to get done double-time. It was done just so she could meet Sakura as soon as possible, however, and her workers knew that they would be paid double during that same day too so they would do their best to reach the goal for those days. In short, a win-win situation. 

Chaeyeon was brought back to reality when she felt Sakura’s strong grip once again. She decided to gently bring the back of Sakura’s hand to her lips while locking eyes with her as she gave her her sweetest smile, sleepiness long gone. Her action painted the cheeks of her lover a rosy hue.

“Say, Chaeyeon…” Sakura muttered softly.

“Hmm?” She hummed as she rubbed circles on her lover’s skin with her thumb.

“I… I think we need to change her diaper too.” 

“...”

“...”

“...now that you mentioned it.” Chaeyeon sniffed around her. “...I think we do.”

Sakura chortled at her antics. “Please prepare the warm water on the kidney tray.”

“Alright. Wait a bit.” She stands up to prepare to change diapers but of course, not without leaving a chaste kiss on Sakura’s forehead. The small gesture made her lover smile so she gave her a victorious grin and soft bop on the nose. Her eyes then gravitated on their small one, busy suckling on her mother. 

Chaeyeon almost felt like she turned into a gooey substance at the sight. She fought against the urge to kiss Wonyoung’s irresistible round, fluffy cheek as it continued moving while she got fed. 

‘ _ A baby’s skin is still extremely sensitive.’ _

She remembered one of Minjoo’s constant warnings and her deadly glare when she caught Chaeyeon about to kiss Wonyoung’s cheek. She couldn’t really forget how the doctor literally took out her laptop and showed a PowerPoint presentation just to explain why none of them should kiss Wonyoung’s cheeks. She chuckled. In the CEO’s defense, no one can blame her for having trouble trying to keep herself from being all mushy because of their first newborn. Why? Wonyoung is adorable,  _ unbelievably _ adorable that it always felt like a glimpse of her could send someone to the hospital simply because of her cuteness. She was a ball of sunshine, delicate like red-seeded dandelions but no words could clearly describe her.

“Hnng. I love you, my baby.” The younger decided to kiss the crown of Wonyoung’s head, the smell of baby wafting through her senses. 

_ Yep. If it’s right here, it’s safe. _

Chaeyeon grinned. Her baby’s scent is just angelic. It made her calm and giddy. It’s downright tempting and makes her want to just squish her child. 

“You should go before you get stuck here trying to kiss Wonyoung because you couldn’t resist her.” Sakura laughed at her. She knew this would happen since she noticed how Chaeyeon is easily distracted by their baby. It would take her minutes to leave due to Wonyoung. It even came to the point where she wouldn’t get shocked if her girlfriend ends up spoiling Wonyoung way too much.

“Sorry.” Chaeyeon wryly scratched her cheek before quickly scuttling across their spacious room to do what she was supposed to do.

“Honestly...” The older chortled while shaking her head.

\--

“You guys look like the undead.” Nako cackled at the sight of a dying Chaeyeon and Sakura. “This is worse than Yena and Yuri’s time after Yujin was born.”

“Just zip your mouth and try to look after Wonyoung for a while. We need to sleep for a few hours.” Chaeyeon grumpily hissed which earned a huff from her friend.

“Sorry about this, Nako. And sorry about her being all irritable.” Sakura gave a weak smile to the short girl.

“No, no! It’s okay!” The petite girl shook her while waving her hand dismissively. “I don’t mind at all.”

“Wonyo just ate so knowing her, she’ll stay put and sleep the whole time until she gets hungry again. Really… sorry for the hassle.”

“Nah. Seriously, it’s no problem, Sakura-unnie. Hiichan is coming anyways.” Nako grinned before letting her eyes wander around the  _ new _ house. Everything was alien to the secretary as she still isn’t used to seeing the expensive but simple design of the residence despite visiting the place twice in the past week.

Chaeyeon laughed emptily. “So our home is a dating spot now, huh.”

“You know what, I won’t be doing this if you’re not my close friend.” Nako rolled her eyes at her boss, earning a groan of frustration from the latter. “Oh. By the way, I stumbled upon Hyewon-unnie on my way here.”

“Hyewon?”

“Yeah. We talked for a bit though I think she’s on a date.” Nako tilted her head in thought. “Well, actually most probably not though.”

“Wow. I never thought she’s brave enough to invite Eunbi-unnie to go somewhere outside her room in broad daylight.” Chaeyeon laughed.

“Right. They always hang out at night or at Hyewon’s place but I haven’t told you guys yet — that’s not the case. It wasn’t Eunbi-unnie with her.” Nako shrugs. “Rather, I think she kinda looks like Sakura-unnie. But although I said it seemed like a date, I highly doubt she treats it as one when it wasn’t Eunbi-unnie with her. Girlie is whipped as hell for unnie.”

“Looks like me?” Sakura feet came to a halt.

“Yep.” Nako answered, popping the ‘p’ while she’s at it.

The short girl hummed while happily skipping towards where Wonyoung was peacefully sleeping while surrounded by soft pillows in her own portable bed. She was placed in the middle of the king-sized bed. As she approached, she politely shooed away one of Chaeyeon’s house workers who temporarily looked after Wonyoung when the couple went out to the living room to welcome her.

The older Japanese girl kept mum.

“That woman was in her early twenties… I guess? With a bob cut and if my guts are correct, she’s Japanese too! I couldn’t really tell because they did  _ not _ speak in Japanese or Korean. Like hello? It’s not even English! It seemed European. I never thought Hyewon could speak a European language fluently. I was literally gaping when I overheard it—  _ ah... Wonyoung is truly the cutest angel to exist~ I feel like melting~ _ ”

Ignoring the girl who was gushing over their child, Sakura instinctively balled her fist when her relative’s face flashed before her eyes.

_ Miona. _

Chaeyeon eyed her lover’s stiff reaction, even taking note of her clenched hands which almost turned white from the force of her strong grip. “Saku-chan?” 

Sakura gasped in surprise when she felt someone, or rather when she felt Chaeyeon tap her shoulder lightly, pulling her senses back to reality. 

“Are you okay? You’ve been silent for a minute.”

“Y-yeah. I’m probably just too tired.” She reassured her lover before looking at the puzzled Nako. “About Hyewon…”

Nako hummed as she snapped her head back at the couple, her eyes brimming with curiosity locked on Sakura’s orbs.

“She’s a polyglot and I think she spoke in German.” 

“Excuse me?! _Poly_?!! Unbelievable! You’re telling me she can speak _five_ languages fluently?! F-I-V-E???!” Nako exclaimed silently in exasperation, careful not to disturb the baby beside her. “I can’t believe this… I couldn’t even understand anything…. but I did hear the word _photo_ or something. Oh, by the way, why did you assume it was German? Is it the only European language she could speak?”

Sakura internally hit herself in the head for slipping up, eventually letting out a dry laugh to berate herself for the mistake. “Well, she knows Spanish and Italian too but when you said she was with someone who looks like me, she was most probably talking in German. If my assumption is right, it’s the girl I personally know of as well. And if I’m indeed correct, Hyewon will speak German in front of her.” The older girl gave a wry smile as she scratched her cheek nervously.

Nako hummed in thought. “Is that so? So they’re friends of sorts?”

Sakura shot her a smile before immediately querying as she avoided the girl’s question. “Did she say anything to you?”

“Oh, yeah. She told me to inform you that she’ll come by shortly after I arrive and that she has something to talk about.”

“I see. Thanks for telling me.”

“Ah, and if you guys have cake, she’ll probably stay the night too while looking after Wonyoung.”

“I—” Sakura shook her head while giggling. “Cake or no cake, I’m pretty sure she’ll stay here.”

“Exactly.” A familiar voice came from the door which they left ajar. “But hey, cake is a must too!”

“Hyewon-unnie should’ve bought one instead.” Nako pouted. “Also, if I knew you were arriving  _ this  _ fast, I could’ve waited for you instead.”

“My hands were still tied by that time. Sorry.” 

“If you’re sorry, buy me mintcho!”

“Disgusting.” Hyewon’s usually blank face warped in repugnance.

At her surprising change of expression, Chaeyeon and Nako chortled, forgetting to lower their volume which then made Wonyoung stir and cry after being disturbed from her peaceful slumber.

The infant’s high pitched wailing made the adults, who were a few strides away from her, almost fly across the room as they tried to calm her down and make her fall back to sleep. Chaeyeon then started humming a sweet, calming song, leaving feather-like kisses on her little princess’ hand with a small sorry smile on her lips. As she was successfully able to lull the angel back to sleep, a pair of eyes shot the two culprits a rather menacing look that sent chills down their spine.

“Nako, do look after Wonyo.” Chaeyeon hurriedly stood up. “I-I’ll go to sleep now too. Good night, babe.” The CEO darted her eyes away from her lover as she scurried out of the room but she immediately jogged back inside to leave a quick peck on her lover’s lips while grinning like a fool. “I’ll go to our room now. Don’t push yourself too much, okay? I love you.”

Sakura narrowed her eyes at her fleeing lover.

“You should go rest too, unnie. I’ll look after Wonyoung with Hyewon-unnie.” Nako chimed as she forced a laugh. 

“We still have something important to talk about so do excuse us for a bit. I’ll be back in a few.” Hyewon chuckled at Nako’s gaze of betrayal.

Sakura sighed. “I’ll leave her to you, Nako…”

“Fine~ I’ll just take some good photos of this angel here instead.”

The pair smiled apologetically at the sulking Japanese. They eventually found themselves walking out of the room in stealth not to hinder the now fully concentrated Nako who was busying herself by adoring the infant in front of her. 

Hyewon shook her head while grinning. “Chaeyeon is truly amazing. Earlier, I think she was able to grasp the gravity of the situation despite not knowing the details.”

_ Gravity of the situation? _

Her words made the brows of the Japanese girl meet in the middle. Sakura has been left confuzzled by Hyewon’s implication regarding her lover but more than that, she felt anxious about the mention of the possibly alarming news Hyewon had brought her.

“Yes. It is a big problem,  _ Ojou-sama _ .” Hyewon sighed, her expression solemn.

“So… what did my_ dearest cousin_ inform you about?” The former heiress smiled bitterly in contempt. “What the fuck do they want now?” She growled.

“It’s about the Young Master.”

At the mention of her brother, Sakura froze, her eyes mirroring a myriad of emotions. “What about my brother?” She muttered weakly, her hateful demeanor which resembled a fearsome lion immediately switched into a passive one as she made sure her voice didn’t waver.

“The elders have somehow started acting more strange ever since half a year ago.  _ Miona  _ also mentioned that their eyes are on you again.” Hyewon stared at Sakura’s seething eyes. “They’ve been secretly observing you since months ago but even she, herself, just found out recently… and that they’re still trying to dig around to know your current situation.”

Sakura kept mum, absorbing the information her former retainer spewed. “Is it safe to assume  _ Mai _ is in charge of the work this time?”

“Yes. It is her.”

Sakura sighed. “Is the reason why that accursed family is acting up again stated by your ex?”

“Hey, don’t bring up our past relationship. She’s already happy spending time with her musician lover in Germany and I have Eunbi-unnie.” Hyewon wanted to roll her eyes in protest but she instead bated her breath, trying to find the right words to break the news to Sakura. “Y-Young Master Yoshiki… he’s…”

“He’s what? What about my brother?” Sakura paled at Hyewon's worrying voice.

Hyewon looked at her, eyes glazed from worry. She knew... she knew that despite Sakura’s hate for the adults in her family, she still harbors affection towards her only brother. He, the only one who looked at her without contempt, was the sole person that helped her hold herself together and stopped her from leaving the family which she had wanted to do for years. Nevertheless, she still ended up leaving him behind — in that twisted world where money and purity of blood matter the most. It was the biggest regret the Japanese have in her life.

Hyewon took a deep breath to calm herself. “There’s a high possibility that he’s going to be deemed incapable of being the new leader in the future. Ojou, it was discovered that he’s ill.”


End file.
